


Coppélia

by FrozenJinni



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Coppelia AU, F/M, OC's from a ballet, Romance, Slow Burn, coppelia - Freeform, not sure if that means anything
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2019-10-24 08:13:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 31,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17700707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrozenJinni/pseuds/FrozenJinni
Summary: After an Inventor moves into town, Hiccup becomes infatuated with his daughter, Coppélia. But Coppélia isn't all that she seems.Not sure yet how many chapters this will be, but I do have a complete story in mind.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So, I really REALLY didn't mean to start another HTTYD project so soon, but I saw The Hidden World recently and it had me feeling some type of way and here we are. I hope you enjoy. -Jin
> 
> Also I'm using the same names for characters as One Floor Down SUE ME

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I really REALLY didn't mean to start another HTTYD project so soon, but I saw The Hidden World recently and it had me feeling some type of way and here we are. I hope you enjoy. -Jin
> 
> And I'm using the same names for minor characters as my last fic SUE ME

The day the new bell in the village square was to be unveiled Hiccup woke up late. He opened his eyes and could see that the sun was already too bright, groaning as he pulled himself out of bed and got dressed, heading out the door to make sure that the finishing touches were made correctly before the bell was properly installed. He barely said hello to those he passed, saying “Sorry.” when he bumped into people, barely looking up long enough to make eye contact before going back to the plans that he held in his hands. This was the biggest project he had ever had, and he wanted to do a good job with it. Being the apprentice to the blacksmith might not have been the most glamorous job, but he liked doing it, and he was good at it.

“There you are!” He heard a loud voice calling to him and his head snapped up from his work, finding Gobber, his mentor, walking towards him. “I thought you were gonna sleep right through it!”

“Who, me?” Hiccup asked, looking around as though Gobber could be talking to anyone else. “Never.” He followed Gobber back towards where he knew the bell was.

“Now, we've made sure that nothing was touched before you got here.” Gobber told him. “We wanted you to have the final say.” Hiccup nodded and turned to where the bell was sitting.

“Okay.” He put his hands together in front of him and looked at his own distorted reflection, before reaching out the touching the cool surface. He was proud of this project, and was happy that it had gone so well.

“We're almost ready to hoist it up.” Hiccup turned to find his friend Fish standing behind him, a few others alongside, looking at the bell and admiring the handiwork that Hiccup had put in over the past few months. “Are you ready to hear her?”

“I'm nervous.” Hiccup admitted. “I want it to be good.”

“It will be.” Fish told him, and walked away with the others, leaving Hiccup to stand alone in front of the bell, looking over it one last time and making sure that there wasn't a single smudge along the surface. As he moved around the edge he noticed that someone was standing behind him, her head tilted, and blonde hair falling over her shoulder as she watched him. He turned around and nearly fell over, causing her to laugh.

“Sorry!” Astrid smiled, her arms outstretched as though to help him. “I just wanted to see it up close before it goes up into the tower for good.”

“Oh, well here she is.” He gestured awkwardly and turned away from her, suddenly feeling self conscious of his own actions as she stepped closer.

“It's really beautiful.” Her voice was soft as she spoke, and Hiccup turned to her.

“Thanks.” She stood beside him a moment longer and admired the bell, turning to him and nudging his arm.

“I'll see you at the ceremony.” And she walked away, with Hiccup watching her, before turning back to Gobber who was walking towards him again.

“We're ready for you.” Hiccup nodded and folded the papers he had been carrying around for weeks, taking a deep breath and watching as the others came over and lifted up the bell, carrying it to the opening in the chapel that it would be lifted into. It shone brightly as the ropes were connected and the doors were opened. Spring came through the opening and bathed everyone in warm wind and the smell of the tides. Hiccup watched as the bell began to rise, looking at the people who had gathered, the smiles on their faces, and the looks of admiration that he was getting, making it the first time in his life that he felt good at something. He wasn't like the others in the village, and he knew from a young age that he would never be quite as muscular, and it had been hard to find things to be good at, but when Gobber had first shown him how to melt steel and iron into beautiful creations, he felt home for the first time in his life. Finally, he felt useful.

He watched them hoist the bell, the people of the town cheering as it was installed into it's place. Everyone was silent as it was rung for the first time, clapping and smiling at Hiccup as he looked up at what he had created. He knew this was only the beginning, and that he had established himself in the town more than he had before, making him feel proud of his accomplishments as he accepted the praise of the rest of the village.

“It really is beautiful.” Hiccup turned to find Astrid beside him again, looking up at the bell in awe. “You did a really nice job.”

“Thanks.” He turned to her and watched as her eyes continued to watch the motion of the bell that rang loudly over the sounds of people around them. He felt more at peace than he had in a long time, and he listened to the sound of bell until it faded away, people starting to leave, as the event had ended. But Astrid stayed, content to watch the sky at the edge of the chapel. The wind picked up and Hiccup went to stand beside her, the sun causing both of them to retreat slightly back into the chapel. He was disappointed at how quickly people seemed to move on with their day, but as he talked to Astrid about what he wanted to work on next, and what kind of weapon he could make her for better hunting, he decided that having the rest of the town ignore him was worth it.

Hiccup heard something as they stood together, looking around for the sound of whatever was creaking slightly. It seemed to be coming from above them, and he looked up in horror as the ropes that held the bell, and the metal that held it in place began to buckle, giving way as he turned to Astrid.

“Astrid move!” She turned back in surprise. “Move!” He heard it falling and rushed forward, listening to the whistle that it made as it fell towards them, pushing her out of the way just in time, and feeling pain like he had never known as the screams of the village filled his head, blacking out as he heard someone calling out his name.

Darkness, and more darkness. For a long time is all he can see. Nothing else fills his head. What had happened? The bell? Something with the bell, and... Astrid. Her smile as she had admired his work, her voice as she asked him questions, showed an interest in what he was doing. He could still hear her, saying his voice quietly as he swam through the darkness, until a small light shone through the depths that he was encompassed in.

“Hiccup?” She was whispering. “Hiccup are you awake?” The lights seemed to bright and his voice didn't want to work, causing him to cough as he jolted out of sleep and slammed back into the real world. “Hey, it's okay!” He felt hands on the sides of his face, soothing him as he opened his eyes.

“Astrid?”

“Hi.” She was smiling at him, her eyes full of tears. “How do you feel?”

“Awful.” He told her, leaning back. “What happened?” Her face fell as he asked this, and her eyes slid away from him.

“It wasn't your fault, you need to know that.” She took his hand. “The bell fell out of the chapel and nearly hit me.”

“And I-I pushed you.” He remembered, looking to her for confirmation. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine.” She assured him. “But there's something else.” She sat back and pulled the blankets back, biting down on her lip as he looked down at himself. At the missing piece of his left leg that had been bandaged up. “You saved my life, and it fell on you instead.” She told him, replacing the blankets over his torso and sitting on the side of the bed. “Hiccup?” She took his hand. “Are you okay?”

“I couldn't even do this right.”

“No, Hiccup, this wasn't your fault.”

“Really?” He looked up at her with malice in his eyes. “Because it feels a lot like it's my fault.”

“No, nothing you made broke.” She reached out. “All you did was save me.” She looked toward the dresser where Hiccup could see what looked like a crude peg leg. “Gobber made it for you, but you can make something better how that you're awake.” She brought it over to him and he felt like he was going to be sick. This was going to be his leg now. This strange piece of wood and metal in front of him, running his fingers over the edges and thinking about how it would feel to walk on it.

“I'm sorry you lost your leg.” Astrid said softly, and she moved towards the door. “I'll tell the others you're awake.”

“No-” He looked up at her. “Not yet.”

“Don't you want to see everyone else?”

“Yes, but-” He looked at the leg in his hands. “Will you help me?”

“I don't know how.” She admitted. “I don't know how to, well, attach it.”

“I do.” He told her, and pulled back the blankets, shifting so she could sit beside him, and showing her how and leaning on her as he stood up. “I'll need to make some adjustments.” He said. “But this should be fine.”

“I'm glad.” She said, and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him against her. “I was scared you weren't going to wake up.”

“Really?”

“Well, we all were.” And she blushed as she pulled away, watching as he took a step on his own, reaching out as he winced, and continuing to help him until he was able to walk on his own. He made it a few steps before collapsing back on the bed.

“Alright, that's enough for now. Get Gobber, I want to talk to him about this thing.” Astrid left and Hiccup looked down at his leg, and trying to take solace in the fact that it hadn't been his fault that the bell had fallen. And it helped that he had woken up to Astrid sitting beside him. Hiccup stood up again, hoping that the leg would get easier to walk on as time went on, knowing that it was going to hurt while he was still recovering from what had happened.

When Gobber came to speak with him, he asked what kind of adjustments could be made, and they spent a few days coming up with new ways to improve his leg, making it easier for him to get around as it continued to heal. But there was still something off about the way it functioned. Something that was never quite right. It frustrated Hiccup that he couldn't do anything about it, and he spent most of his time sitting down, disappointed that his limp was apparent wherever he went. But there was nothing he could do. Nothing he knew how to build that could help Hiccup through the pain of missing part of his left leg.

 


	2. Mr. Copper

Three weeks after the incident that had cost Hiccup his happiness, the workshop at the center of the village, which had been empty for years, finally gained a new tenant. He brought with him machinery that no one had ever seen before, and ideas on how to build things that even Hiccup got excited about. His name was Mr. Copper, and he was an inventor.

“He says he can build me a leg that'll work more like a real one.” Hiccup told Astrid as they walked slowly through town. “One that will have more give to it so I won't limp so badly.”

“That's amazing.” She smiled at him, happy to see him excited again, and hoping that the promises that Mr. Copper made weren't too good to be true. “Do you think you'll be able to learn from him?”

“I hope so.” Hiccup told her. “I like working with Gobber, but inventing new things? That would be a dream come true.”

“My father said he's all alone.” Astrid told him. “I'm sure he would be happy to have the company.”

“Even if he doesn't, he can still build me a new leg.” They had reached the building, and Hiccup took a deep breath, reaching out and knocking on the door before he could stop himself, his hands nervously fisting at his sides as they waited. He didn't hear any movement coming from inside, and started to wonder if Mr. Copper was even home, when slowly the door opened, and a man with graying hair stepped out to see them. He was dressed rather plainly, a few holes in the sweater that he wore, and his hair contained what looked like metal shavings, which glistened in the sunlight as he turned his head to look at them.

“Hello.” He said. “You must be Hiccup, I've heard all about you.”

“Really?” Hiccup was surprised that someone had been talking about him, but as Mr. Copper's eyes shifted to his leg, he realized why. “Oh. I'm the one who wants the new leg, yes.”

“And I can build you one. Come in.” He opened the door and beckoned them inside, Hiccup looking around in amazement at the walls, shocked by how much there was hanging in such a small amount of time.

“You just moved in here yesterday, right?” Astrid asked. “You brought all of this?”

“Yes, I like to feel at home.” Mr. Copper said. “The inventions make me feel less alone.”

“Speaking of alone...” Astrid turned to Hiccup and gave him an encouraging look. “Have you ever thought about having an apprentice?”

“An apprentice?” He thought for a moment. “Not really.”

“Well, Hiccup here invents things as well.” Astrid continued. “He's very good.”

“Really?” Mr. Copper turned to him, smiling for the first time since he had opened the door. “A fellow inventor!”

“Sort of, amateur.” He insisted, feeling his face redden as he turned to Astrid. “I just like making things.”

“Then why haven't you built yourself a new leg?” He asked. “What were you waiting for?”

“I don't know.” Hiccup shrugged. “I guess I didn't know if I could.”

“Then I'll make you a deal.” Mr. Copper said. “I'll build you a new leg, if you work for me for six months. I'll teach you everything I know, and then you can go back to whatever it is you do.”

“Six months?” Hiccup wasn't sure if Gobber would let him leave for that long, but considering how he had barely done anything besides design a new sword hilt for one of the locals in the weeks since the accident, he couldn't see Gobber being upset by anything that had him excited about creating again.

“And what if I'm really bad at it?” Hiccup asked, “What if everything I make fails?”

“Then you will know all sorts of ways to _not_ make whatever it is you are making.” Mr. Copper seemed to know what he was talking about, even if both Hiccup and Astrid were at a loss for words. “And I don't think you'll be terrible.” Mr. Copper continued. “And if you are then you can help me with my inventions instead of making your own.”

“I would be honored, sir.” Hiccup told him. “When should I start?”

“Tomorrow, we're going to design your leg.”

“Thank you, sir.” Hiccup knew he was rambling but he couldn't seem to stop. “I hope I don't let you down, I-”

“We should go.” He felt Astrid's hand find his sleeve and start to drag him away. “You seem to have a lot going on and we wouldn't want to intrude.”

“What? Oh yes. I do have to finish something.” Mr. Copper looked around as though the project he was working on would stand up and present itself. “Somewhere...” He turned away from them, and Astrid began to pull Hiccup towards the door. “He'll see you first thing in the morning.” She called and pushed him back onto the street.”

“What was that for?” Hiccup asked as Astrid closed the door. “You could have been nicer.”

“I don't like him.” She shook her head. “He's weird.”

“He's eccentric, like me.” Hiccup assured her. This didn't seem to calm her as she shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. “You need to lighten up.” He told her, turning away and walking across the town center.

“Lighten up?” She laughed and followed him. “You're the one who's all serious now.” She reminded him, making him wince slightly, her phrasing splitting his life into before and after, something he had been avoiding doing since he had woken up. She didn't seem to notice and continued to talk, telling him the other reasons she had for not trusting Mr. Copper, all of which he ignored until they got to his house.

“I appreciate you going with me, but I need to do this.” He told her. “I want to learn how to build and invent like he does. Did you see some of the things in there?”

“That's what worries me.” She said. “They were creepy.”

“They were unfamiliar.” He corrected. “The unknown is nothing to be scared of.” But Astrid still wasn't put at ease. “I'm gonna start working on plans for my leg.” Hiccup told her, stopping and looking towards his house. “I'll see you around?” He said it as if it was a question, and she nodded, watching as he walked away.

The rest of the day Hiccup spent at his desk, drawing and redrawing, coming up with all kinds of different designs that he would love to build. Features that normal legs didn't have, anything that could make his situation seem like an advantage he would take. He worked late into the night, almost falling asleep at his desk a couple times, until his father came to tell him it was time to sleep for the night, pulling him away from his work and into bed, closing the door softly as Hiccup fell asleep. But even as he slept, his thoughts were no longer the nightmares of being stuck and unable to walk. He could see himself running again, walking by himself without pain, and without limping. He saw himself happy again in a way that he hadn't thought he could be.

When he got up in the morning, Hiccup was ready to head back to Mr. Coppers, bringing with him the pile of papers that he had written on the day before, knocking on the front door without hesitation, and following Mr. Copper into the building quickly, laying his ideas down on the table in front of them.

“So I've thought about traction.” Hiccup said. “When I'm walking in the winter I'll want something to make sure I don't slip.” He pointed to the part of the leg that could more more easily. “I could make a few and switch them out for different things.”

“Slow down.” Copper told him, motioning for Hiccup to follow him away from the table at the center of the room and towards some of the chests that he had brought with him. “First you need to learn how this stuff works.”

“Then why did you have me design things on my own?” Hiccup asked, following slowly, wincing at the pain that shot through his leg. “Why not just teach me first.”

“Because you need to learn where each of your ideas would have gone wrong.” Copper said. “That's how you learn.” And for the rest of the day, he showed Hiccup how the drawings were good, but they wouldn't hold up over time. That they were fine if he was planning on growing another leg back in a few years, but a more permanent solution would have to be planned out if he was going to live as he had before the incident.

“Take this home with you and read it, then come back tomorrow and we'll work again.” Copper told him as the sun started to set. “Make sure to read as much of it as you can, but don't work yourself too hard. If you only get through half of it, but you know that half well, that's better than reading all of it and having to do it twice, do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.” Hiccup said. “I'll see you tomorrow, goodnight Mr. Copper.”

“Goodnight, Hiccup.” Mr. Copper didn't even look up from his own plans as Hiccup let himself out, looking at the book and cracking it open before he even started walking, hoping to get through as much as he could before the sun was completely gone. He was so engrossed that he didn't notice when Astrid started following him, eventually stealing the book out of his hands and turning back towards him, reading a few lines out loud as he rolled his eyes at her.

“What is this?” She looked up from the pages. “Did Copper give it to you?”

“Yes, he's going to teach me, and I need to know what's in that book.” He reached for it but she moved just far enough away so that his hands grasped air, turning a page and continuing to look through it. “Can I have it back, please?”

“Fine.” She sighed and handed it back to him, falling into step beside him as they continued to walk. “What did you do all day then?” She asked. “If he's just giving you books to learn from?”

“We worked on my leg.” He told her, and explained the process that he had gone through, and how he had learned all of the different ways that his ideas wouldn't work. “It was really fascinating to watch him work.” He told her as they neared his house. “He's really smart.”

“Well, I'm glad you're so excited about this.”

“I thought you didn't like him.” He said, raising his eyebrows at her.

“I don't.” She admitted. “But I like seeing you happy.” She turned away and walked back towards her house, yelling over her shoulder that she would see him tomorrow, and left him standing alone as the sun continued to set. He watched her go for a moment, mesmerized by the fading light shining off her hair. The braid that she always wore tightly on the back of her head coming loose from a day of work. He felt a sort of twisted gratitude to the failure of the bell, as the time he had spent with Astrid since then was precious to him in ways that he could have never imagined.

For the next few days he worked tirelessly at reading and studying the machinery and books that Mr. Copper gave him, devouring the knowledge that they stored and each day getting closer and closer to building himself a leg that could do all the things he wanted, until finally, finally after weeks of creating and scraping his own ideas, Hiccup had a prototype that he could work with. One that would fasten into a binding that stayed on his leg, and would provide comfort for longer walks. He tried it on and walked around the workshop a few times, content with the progress he had made as he felt more normal than he had since the incident. His gate evened out, and his steps felt lighter. No longer weighed down by the pain that would come from every step.

“That looks good.” Mr. Copper told him, nodding his head as Hiccup took a few more careful steps. “How does it feel?”

“Better than the last one.” He admitted, and looked down at his legs. “It feels kind of like a normal foot.”

“Good.” Mr. Copper handed him another book. “Read this tonight and see if you have any other changes you want to make.”

“Again?” Hiccup looked at the book. “What's this one for?”

“Maintenance.” Mr. Copper told him. “So you don't have to start over if something happens to that one. Moving parts and all that.” He waved his hand and looked out the window at the setting sun. “You should go for the day.” He turned to Hiccup. “See you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, Mr. Copper. Thank you for this.” Hiccup motioned to the book in his hands and headed for the door, still wearing the new leg that he had made for himself. He started walking home slowly, hoping that Astrid would walk by so he could show her the new leg, seeing her out of the corner of his eye and walking quickly beside her, tapping her on the shoulder and grinning as she turned around.

“Notice anything different?” He asked, and her eyes scanned him up and down, landing on the left side and looking excitedly back up at him.

“You finished it!” She bent over slightly to get a better look. “This looks great, how does it feel?”

“It feels amazing.” He told her, walking beside her as they continued through town. “I can walk like normal again.”

“Well, as normal as you ever walked.” She teased, poking him in the side and laughing as he pretended to take offense. “I was thinking of going for a walk down towards the water, want to come?” She asked without looking at him, continuing to walk forward, and Hiccup nearly tripping over himself.

“Right now?”

“Yes right now.” She turned to him for a second. “Want to?”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “Where?”

“This way.” She grabbed his arm and dragged him towards one of the streets that led to the water. “This is my favorite time of day to be down here.” She told him as they neared the sand. “It's so beautiful, and the water shines so brightly.” She sighed and stopped, closing her eyes and letting the wind cascade over her, the warmth from the sun heating them both as they stood at the edge.

“I'm happy you build yourself a leg.” Astrid's voice carried softly to him. “I'm glad you stuck with it.”

“Me too.” He opened his eyes to look at her, noticing that her eyes were still closed. He used the opportunity to move ever so slightly closer to her, hoping that she wouldn't notice. He watched as the sun began to fall below the water, shadows moving over the dunes as a chill swept through the air.

“I love watching that.” Astrid opened her eyes and turned to him. “It's amazing.” Hiccup nodded, unable to find words to match the beauty of what they had just seen. “And then it immediately get's freezing.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Come on.”

“I'll walk you back to your house.” He told her, making a show of how well his leg was holding up. “You know, because I can.”

“What a gentleman.” She laughed and fell into step beside him. They reached her house quickly, and Astrid turned to him. “See you tomorrow, yeah?”

“Yes, tomorrow.” He nodded, and started to turn away, but she reached up and kissed his cheek, slipping into her house before he could say anything, and leaving him standing alone in the growing darkness, the shock barely registering on his face before the a smile broke out across his features. One that stayed in place well after he got home, the book from Mr. Copper forgotten on his desk as he fell asleep, thinking of nothing but Astrid and how excited he was for _tomorrow_.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	3. An Arrival

The next morning Hiccup woke up to find the book Mr. Copper had given him and cursed himself for getting distracted the night before. He skimmed part of it quickly as he made himself breakfast, reading as much as he could before going in and hoping that it would be enough for whatever Copper wanted him to do that day. He walked a little slower than usual to give himself a few extra seconds, but it was all for nothing, as when he arrived, Copper seemed even more flustered than Hiccup was.

“Hiccup is that you?” Copper turned to Hiccup. “Come here.”

“What's going on?”

“I have to get everything ready.” He told Hiccup. “A special visitor is coming soon.”

“Really?” Hiccup was intrigued. “Who?”

“My daughter.” Copper told him. “Coppélia.”

“Coppélia?” Hiccup tried not to sound too condescending.

“I know it seems silly, Coppélia Copper.” He laughed at his own joke. “But it was her mother's choice, a family name you see, and so she's Coppélia Copper.”

“It's a beautiful name.” Hiccup assured him. “When is she getting here?”

“Any day now.” Copper told him. “We're skipping your work for today, I need your help getting her room ready for her.”

“Okay.” Hiccup wasn't going to argue with him on this point, turning away and sighing softly in relief as he looked at the page that he had folded over in the book, and how close it was to the beginning. He picked it up and pulled the page flat again without Copper noticing, deciding that he would just start over that night and read it properly.

“What do you want me to do?” Hiccup asked as Copper pulled a chest out from under one of the work benches. “Is this hers?”

“Yes, it's her clothes.” Copper told him. “I want to have them put away for her.”

“Which room is hers?” Hiccup looked to the hall that went to the back of the workshop where the homier parts were located.

“The door's propped open.” Copper told him. “Take this into her room and unpack it onto the bed and then bring it back.” Hiccup picked up the chest and carried it into the small room, looking around at the plain bed frame and dresser, opening the chest and starting to take out some of the dresses. He held one up and looked at the colors, placing it on the bed and reaching for another, noticing that there were similar patterns, but no two were exactly the same color. There were different shades of blue, and greens that could rival the fields in summer. Light pinks that were the color of the sky at dusk and reds that looked like the color of wine. When he had finished he brought the chest back to Copper and replaced it under the work bench, picking up his next task, which was sweeping the floor of the workshop, and other small cleaning duties, while Copper told him stories of Coppélia and her childhood.

“And when she was very young, she used to be afraid of the dark, and her mother and I would take turns sitting with a candle beside her while she fell asleep.” He laughed softly to himself. “I can still remember watching as she tried to stay awake, her little eyes desperately trying to stay open.” He sighed. “She was so small.” Hiccup nodded, only half listening, his thoughts more occupied with Astrid than stories of a girl he had never met.

“Then there was the first time she tried to read to us, she had a single piece of paper, a letter form her aunt, and it took over an hour. Granted, her aunt does not mince words, and therefore it was an impressive letter, and a valiant effort on her part, but what a night that was.”

“She sounds lovely.” Hiccup didn't look up from his new task of washing down all the tables in the workshop, dumping the small bucket of dirty water out the back door before coming back to find Copper looking around nervously.

“What is it?” Hiccup asked. “Everything okay?”

“Fine.” Copper told him. “I just hope she likes it here.”

“Berk is a wonderful place.” Hiccup told her. “I'm sure she will.”

“She prefers the city.” Copper shook his head. “Reading is the only thing that really makes her happy.”

“Maybe you should have some books brought here.” Hiccup suggested. “I haven't seen any so far that aren't about mechanics, and unless she's interested in that, she might be bored.”

“Good idea.” Copper said, nodding and looking towards his desk. “I'll write to one of my associates at once.”

“What kind of books does she like?” Hiccup asked. “I might have some.”

“She likes to read adventure stories.” Copper told him. “She is a fragile girl, and must instead live vicariously through the books she reads.”

“I understand that.” Hiccup told Copper, thinking about the stories of warriors and heroes he had read in the past, and thinking about his own station in life. He wasn't unhappy with his life, but whenever Fish returned from a day of hunting with stories, or when Tuck came back from the mines with soot on his face and a smile it was something to be proud of. Hiccup, well, Hiccup built things occasionally, and mostly just sharpened tools.

“You may go for the day, if you wish.” Copper said from his desk, looking down at the paper in front of him. “Be back first thing in the morning.”

“Yes, sir.” Hiccup picked up his book and headed for the door, stepping out into the afternoon sun and heading home to read. The book wasn't particularly interesting compared to some of the others that Copper had given him, and focused mainly on what types of stones and metals worked best at different times of year. Which ones would become brittle in the winter, and which would be pliable in the summer. Useful things to know, but dull nonetheless. He found himself looking out the window more than normal, watching people walk by and hearing their voices melt together as he tried to concentrate on his reading, finding it harder and harder to do as he got further into the book. Stepping away from the window he started to whisper the words to himself, hoping that it would make it easier for him to pay attention, finding that the walking and whispering only made him self conscious and a little sick, falling back onto his bed and looking up at the ceiling.

He tried reading a few more times and eventually gave up, putting the book down and heading out into the street, looking around for Astrid and hoping she hadn't already gone by. He looked at the sky and noticed how vibrant the colors were, turning towards the shore and walking slowly, hoping that she would be standing at the edge of the water as she had been with him the day before. Reaching the crest of the sand quickly he looked around and sure enough, standing not too far away with her eyes closed was Astrid. Hiccup walked slowly towards her, watching as her eyes opened and she waved him over, looking out over the water again, using her hand to block some of the light as she continued to watch the setting sun.

“No Copper today?” She asked. “He get tired of you?”

“No, he had me cleaning today.” Hiccup said. “And unpacking woman's clothes.”

“What?” Astrid turned to him. “Why?”

“His daughter is coming to visit.” Hiccup told her. “Coppélia.” She snorted and he couldn't help but smile. “It's a family name.”

“I didn't say anything.” But he could see her trying to suppress her smile. “Nothing at all.”

“Anyway.” He continued. “He had me cleaning, and then he started writing a letter and said I could go.”

“And you still ended up here.” She nudged him in the side. “I knew you'd be back.”

“It's beautiful.”

“And it's here every night, and yet.” She looked around. “No one else is here.” The sun set completely as they watched, Astrid finally turning away from the water and heading back up the shore.

“Is tomorrow business as usual or are you still going to be cleaning?” She turned over her shoulder as she spoke, making sure he was following her.

“I'm not sure.” He said, and with some difficulty followed her up the sand. “I guess it depends on when Coppélia actually gets here.”

“What did Copper say about her?” Astrid wanted to know. “How old is she?”

“I don't know.” Hiccup admitted. “But he said she's fragile, and reads a lot.”

“Fragile?” Astrid scoffed. “That just means she's weak. Berk will toughen her up.”

“Not all girls are like you, Astrid.” Hiccup felt the need to remind her.

“And what's wrong with girls like me?” She turned on him with her hands on her hips, an expression of defiance that he had seen many times on her, her eyes narrowed slightly as if challenging him to continue.

“Nothing.” He put his hands up. “Nothing at all, you're-” He was at a loss for words. “You're amazing.”

“I know.” Was all she said as she flipped her hair over her shoulder and continued walking, Hiccup feeling as though he had just walked through fire, feeling relieved that she wasn't making a big deal about his comment about her. He had always thought there was something incredible about her, but never in his wildest dreams did he think that one day he would be telling her that. And even if he did, he never thought her reaction would be to accept it.

“Let me know when Coppélia gets here.” Astrid said as they reached his house. “I want to meet her.”

“I will.” He told her, waving slightly as she turned away, watching as she walked off, going inside and submitting himself back to his book, deciding his small detour was worth it as he opened it again.

The next morning Hiccup got up and headed out like he normally did, book under one arm as he walked towards the workshop, nodding to some of the people he passed, saying hello to a few others, walking up to the front door and opening it, nothing but silence greeting him as he walked inside.

“Copper?” He asked the empty room. “Are you here?” _Maybe he's gone to get Coppélia_ , he thought to himself, and looked around for a note or another sign of some sort that would give him a clue to Copper's whereabouts. He listened, and thought he could hear a faint voice coming from the hall, walking slowly towards the sound, he heard Copper laugh, and rounded the corner to see him standing over the figure of a girl sitting in a chair, hunched over a book as he stroked her hair.

“Mr. Copper?” Hiccup said, trying to get his attention. Copper turned to him and smiled, bending down and kissing the top of the girl's head and walking towards Hiccup.

“She's reading.” Copper said, smiling as he closed the door to the small back porch that she was sitting on. It was hidden from most of the street, but offered sunshine and a quiet place to sit, making it an ideal spot for her to be, and Hiccup looked at the back of her head and then at Copper.

“Can I meet her?”

“Not today.” Copper said, she's met too many new people already lately.”

“Of course.” Hiccup nodded, remembering what Copper had said about her being fragile and needing to be taken care of. He watched her for a moment longer before following Copper back into the main part of the workshop, listening to him speak about what they would be working on that day.

“Coppélia is going to need some things built for her while she's here, and I thought we could start with that.” Copper told him. “First of all, she will need a better chair to sit in while she reads.” He turned back to where his daughter sat for a moment. “She's not going to be comfortable in that chair for long.”

“What kind of chair?” Hiccup asked, already planning in his head the different methods that he could use to build something for her to sit in. “Something light that she can move if she wants, or something that'll just stay outside?”

“Something that will stay there, she's not strong enough to move much.” Copper told him, handing him a few tools. “How did you like the book?” He asked. “What did you think about the discourse on sanding against the grain on a piece of wood?”

“It was interesting.” Hiccup said, remembering a particularly dense part of the book. “I don't think I'll trust it enough to try sanding against the grain, but it was an interesting read.” For a while they talked about the contents of the book, Hiccup trying to steal glances in Coppélia's direction whenever he could, making sure that Copper never caught him staring for too long, and trying to think of reasons to go and say hello to her.

“Should we maybe take some of her measurements?” He asked eventually. “So that the chair we're making will fit her better?”

“I have her measurements.” Copper said. “For her dresses.” He walked towards his desk. “Here you are.” Hiccup thanked him, even though he was annoyed at the information being so readily available, looking out at her one final time before moving on to the design he was working on. The two of them worked in silence for a while, neither if them having anything to say about sanding wood or the girl sitting outside. By the end of the day Hiccup was more intrigued than ever. Copper had gone to speak with his daughter a few times over the course of the day, always returning with a smile on his face and a tidbit about her personality.

From what Hiccup had gathered she was calm and serene, polite and mostly quiet, and liked to sit and read with her time.

“Coppélia enjoy her first day here?” Hiccup asked as he took off his work apron, setting it on the hook by the door and waiting for Cooper to hand him a new book to read. “I hope she'll be happy here.”

“I think she will be.” Copper said. “She likes the sunshine, she was never really able to go outside in our last house, too much noise and such.” He turned toward her silhouette. “But here she is much freer.”

“That's good.” Hiccup said, and took the book that Copper handed to him. “I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, Hiccup.”

Hiccup walked down the street and looked through the first few pages of the book, praying to himself that it wouldn't be about wood sanding again, and was relieved to see that it was more about steel than anything else. He continued forward, his head down as he started to read, and eventually ran into someone, looking up and feeling horrified when he was Astrid's face before him. But what he originally thought was anger on her face turned into laughter as she shook her head.

“I was wondering if you were going to look up in time.”

“Sorry.” He told her and kept going. She fell into step beside him and he closed the book. “Copper's daughter got here today.” He told her. “She sat and read on the back porch all day.”

“Wow, she sounds perfect.” Astrid's voice was emotionless at best. “Did she say much?”

“Copper wouldn't actually let me meet her.” He said. “But I really want to.”

“How do you plan on doing that?”

“I mean, I know that workshop pretty well now, I could get in easily.”

“Not with that you can't.” Astrid pointed to his leg. “You make a lot more noise than you think.” She thought for a moment. “Tell me where she would be and I'll talk to her, then you can meet her outside or something.”

“I don't have a key though, I don't know where Copper would keep a spare, and I know he would notice if we stole it.”

“We only have to steal it for a little while.” Astrid reminded him. “If this Coppélia is as special as you think, she'll want to let you in after this.”

“Good point.” Hiccup thought about it for a few seconds longer before nodding. “Alright, how would you go about stealing the key?”

“I'll think of something.” She told him, and by the time she made it home she had, deciding that tomorrow, she would execute her plan.

 

 


	4. The Empty Workshop

Astrid had always been light on her feet. She was able to move quickly without being noticed, and used this to her advantage as she followed Copper home the next afternoon, watching the way he moved and which direction his eyes were turned. She was determined to get into his workshop and meet this Coppélia, eager to find out what exactly made her so special that Hiccup wanted to meet her so badly. Not that Astrid was jealous, she was just, _intrigued_ by the new girl in town.

In the time she had been watching him Copper's movements were jarring. He darted around the streets and rarely left his home, giving Astrid limited opportunities to get close to him. But she bided her time, putting off questions from Hiccup in the coming days as he asked her more and more frequently if she was close to getting the key to the workshop.

“I'll get it, don't worry.” She told him over and over. “Now stop asking me. I'll tell you when it's time.”

“Sorry.” He ducked his head. “I'm just excited, you know?”

“Why?” She tried not to sound irritated, as Hiccup shrugged.

“Copper's told me a lot about her, and she seems quiet but sweet, and I just want to get to know her. She's kind of like me you know?” But Astrid shook her head. “Well, I've never really been like the others, and she's not like other girls, so we're kind of the same, you know?” Astrid nodded but she was confused by his admission. Sure, he wasn't as broad in the shoulders as some of the other young men in Berk, and he certainly wasn't as much as a fighter, but that had been why she was drawn to him in the first place. Before the accident in the chapel and before she had gotten to know him, he had still fascinated her with his strange actions and ability to create.

“I'm going to find Copper.” Astrid mumbled and walked away, “Bye.”

“Okay.” He called after her. “Good luck!” Astrid rolled her eyes and continued down the street, her hands slightly clenched at her sides. She sat for a while outside Copper's workshop, just far enough away to hide the fact that she was watching the door intently, but close enough that when he finally emerged, she was able to see when he locked the door behind him, and which pocket the key went into. She stood up, meandering around until he passed her and then following, staying close to the buildings as she went. He walked through the center of town, and Astrid found it difficult to pick out the moment that she could strike, worried that anything she did would seem too planned out by those around them, and that someone watching would figure out that when she bumped into him it was on purpose. When he headed towards the dressmakers she found her moment, stepping inside after him and waiting until he was mostly alone, pretending to look at ribbons and feeling the soft fabric between her fingers as Copper walked closer to her.

“Can I help you with anything, Astrid?” She looked up to the see the young daughter of the owner smiling at her. “I'm surprised you're in here, I've never seen you wear anything besides gray and blue either.” She eyed the red ribbon that Astrid had picked up. “But there's no time like the present for a change.”

“That's alright.” Astrid told her. “I'm just looking.”

“If you need anything let me know.” And she walked away, smiling as she went to ask Copper the same thing. Astrid watched as he told her that he was interested in getting some new dresses for his daughter.

“Coppélia looks good in anything.” Copper was telling her, and Astrid couldn't help but think to herself, _of course she does_ , and watched as he reached into the pocket containing his key. She took this as her chance and still holding the ribbon gasped and rushed forward.

“I think I want-Oh!” She knocked into Copper and both of them fell to the ground. Astrid tried to look horrified as she reached out for him, her hands quick to reach toward his pocket, pulling out the slender key and shoving it up her sleeve in a moment, while she rambled on about being sorry, and caught up in the moment while she was looking at red colored ribbon.

“That's quite alright.” Copper told her as they stood up. “No harm done.” Astrid apologized again and quickly left the shop, heading back to her home and closing herself into her room, taking the key out of her sleeve and looking down at it. She could go show Hiccup right now, and he could go meet Coppélia himself, but in the back of her head, a voice asked what was so special about Coppélia Copper? A question that Astrid wanted answered more than anything else. She avoided leaving her house for the rest of the day, worried that she would run into Hiccup and have to tell him some lie about finding the key, wanting a chance to go and meet her first before he did.

That night she waited until the last light on the street had been put out, and headed outside, walking in the shadows of the buildings and finally making it to the workshop. She peered into the windows to make sure no one was there, and slowly took the key out of her pocket, unlocking the door at the front of the building and opening it softly. She listened for any sign that someone inside was still awake, and stepping inside moments later. Astrid could barely see anything as she moved forward, and tried to remember what Hiccup had told her about the placement of work tables, and where the hall to the bedrooms would be.

She slid her feet along the floor, not wanting to risk stepping on anything, and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could make out the faint outline of the hall that stretched out in front of her. She felt along the walls for doors and reached for a knob, hoping that it was right correct one, he had said the one on the left... or that's what she _thought_ he said. She opened it slowly and looked inside, noticing that the room she had come across wasn't even a bedroom, but some kind of office. A small window on the opposite wall provided some light, as the clear skies of the evening allowed for stars to shine. She stepped inside, looking around and could see the outline of something on the desk in front of her. It was round, and next to it sat what looked like a scarf. She moved closer and had to bite down on her lip to keep from gasping. On the table was a doll's head. But not for a child's plaything. Whatever body went along with this head would have to be nearly life size in order to be in proportion, and Astrid's original suspicions about Copper came back to her. She looked at the scarf and realized that it was a dark haired wig of some kind, with ribbons tied into the braids that clearly was meant to go on this doll head. But she had seen enough for one night. Coppélia could wait, Astrid was done with this weird place. She left the workshop quietly and went back to her house, hiding the key in the bottom of one of her drawers and trying to sleep, her head filled with the face of the doll that she had seen in Copper's workshop.

The next day she once again avoided Hiccup, determined to meet Coppélia, but also aware that eventually he would be tired of waiting, and would find a way around Copper himself. That seemed to be his way, Astrid had realized when she watched him walking on his new leg for the first time. He didn't like taking things as they were, or accepting his situation. He liked to find ways around and attempt new angles for learning. It was a strange trait, but one that drew her to him as she watched him thriving under the new tutelage of Copper.

When the sun had set completely, and the lights on the street started to go out, Astrid got up from bed and went to her window, opening it softly and climbing out, stepping into the shadows and making her way closer to the workshop. It was colder than it had been the night before, and Astrid found herself eager to get inside, the ominous feeling of the workshop coming second to the fact that she hadn't brought any kind of coat. She tried to warm her hands as she stepped inside, looking around as her eyes adjusted, listening for anyone who might still be awake, and praying that Copper wasn't just quietly reading somewhere. He seemed like the type. Just as she had the night before she walked closer, but now she knew which door _not_ to open, and went for the other. _First door_ , he had told her, _Her's is the first door_. She opened it slowly and stepped inside, closing it behind her and letting herself take a deep breath, relieved that she had finally made it.

There was more light in Coppélia's room, coming in through an opening in the curtains, and streaming over the floorboards as Astrid looked toward the bed. Coppélia didn't wake up, and Astrid took this chance to move towards the dresser, opening the doors and looking inside at the dresses that Copper had bought for his daughter. She took one out, a lovely blue that she held up to the light, running her fingers over the fabric and tracing the outline of the patterns. Astrid had never been one for fancy clothes, but was this why Hiccup liked Coppélia? Did her clothing make her seem pretty? Astrid held the dress up against her chest, smoothing it over and smiling at her own silhouetted reflection in the mirror. She had never owned anything this beautiful in her life, and Hiccup didn't seem materialistic. What was it about Coppélia that intrigued him so much? The dress looked like it would fit her, and Astrid hesitated for a moment, looking back at the figure laying in bed.

“Are you awake?” She whispered, stepping forward. “Coppélia?” There was no answer, she turned back to the mirror, looking at herself for another moment before setting the dress down and pulling her own simple dress over her head and picking up Coppélia's carefully, as if she was afraid to break it. Sliding it over her head she realize that she was almost the exact same size as the girl laying in the bed. She wasn't able to button up the back herself, but she looked at herself in the mirror and smiled at the reflection, doing a small twirl before realizing how ridiculous she must look, and how risky it was to be doing this. Coppélia could still wake up at any moment, or worse, Mr. Copper could come in to check on his daughter if he heard a noise.

Astrid quickly pulled the dress off and put it back in the closet, making sure to place all of the dresses where they should have been, smoothing her hands over the soft fabric once more before closing it for good. Eventually, she turned back to the girl in the bed, taking a deep breath and stepping towards the bed.

“Coppélia?” She whispered again. “Coppélia, wake up.” She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled back the blankets, looking down at the face before her, gasping and slapping her hand over her mouth. She replaced the blanket quickly, heading for the door, not daring to take her eyes off the figure in the bed. She left the workshop as quickly as she could, holding it together just long enough to get home before falling to the floor of her room and gasping for breath. The eyes that had stared up at her were void of life and the complexion was pale at best. When she could breathe again, Astrid got up and got into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin and staring at the ceiling. She didn't dare close her eyes. Scared that the face she had seen would haunt her while she tried to sleep. A face that was unmoving and would never change, no matter what time of day, or how much time passed. She was stagnant, a relic of Copper's life that would exist longer than he did. Coppélia was nothing more than a figment of his imagination, a caricature, a _doll_.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might be a little while until I get the next chapter up. This Jin is in for a busy weekend, thanks for sticking around!


	5. First Meeting

Hiccup had been waiting days to hear from Astrid about Coppélia, and it had not escaped his notice that she seemed to be avoiding him. He looked for her in the streets, but since he had asked her to find out more about Copper's daughter, she had been absent from his life. He decided that leaving it up to chance wasn't going to work anymore. When he finished with Copper he headed down to the shore, waiting for her to show up to watch the sunset.

“So you found me.” He heard her voice while he was looking in the other direction.

“How did you sneak up on me?” He asked, getting over the initial shock of seeing her stand beside him, and turning to look out over the water and waited for her to speak.

“I'm quiet, and you're not.” She sighed. “I'm guessing you want to hear about your precious Coppélia.” She said. “Well, I haven't really _met_ her yet, but I've been into the workshop and seen her.”

“And what do you think?” Hiccup turned to her.

“She's pretty.” Astrid conceded. “And her hair is a nice color.” She stopped talking, but Hiccup was looking at her like there was more. “And I'll see if I can get more information tonight, okay?” Astrid promised. “And then you can meet her.”

“Okay.” He looked excited and Astrid waited until he was gone to let the smile fall off her face. It wasn't that she didn't want him to be happy, but for a short moment, there had been a hope inside her that he would be happy with _her_.

Despite her apprehension at going back to the workshop, Astrid found herself once again pretending to be asleep late into the night, before getting up and going back to the darkened building. She slipped inside, becoming better and better and moving through the darkness of the open room, weaving between the tables and down the hall to the room Coppélia was kept in. She looked at the bed, a shiver running down her spine at the doll that was laying under a blanket. She looked at the closet and pulled out one of the front lacing dresses, holding it out to the moonlight and admiring the patterns, holding it up to her front and turning to the mirror, smiling at her own reflection and wondering what it would feel like to wear such a beautiful garment.

She looked back to Coppélia's figure and laughed to herself. She could put it on and no one would ever know. She could slip into this dress and pretend for a moment that it was _hers_ , and that she was worth the silken fabric. She pulled it over her head, leaving her own plain dress to rest on the edge of the bed, looking at the mirror and smiling at herself. She held the dress in her hands and swayed, watching as it caught the light streaming in through the window and moved slowly, as if a soft summer breeze was pressing through it.

Then, without warning, a sound came from the workshop, causing Astrid's heart to start pounding rapidly. Copper, it had to be Copper. She grabbed her dress off the bed and looked around, closing the wardrobe carefully and lifting up the blanket at the edge of the bed, underneath was empty, and she slipped beneath, letting the blanket fall as she held her breath, listening as hard as she could. She sound came again, and she knew it was foot steps, coming closer and closer. But there was something off about the sound. One of them quieter than the other, one of them-she nearly laughed as she realized that one of them, was _fake_.

She climbed out from under the bed, listening as the footsteps stopped in front of the door.

“Coppélia?” His voice was soft and Astrid panicked again, worried that he would simply open the door and find her standing there. “Coppélia are you awake?” Her hands curled into fists for a moment, looking back at the doll laying in the bed, before stepping to the door.

“I'm awake.” She whispered, pitching her voice a little higher than normal so he wouldn't recognize her. “Who are you?”

“I'm Hiccup.” He said. “I work with your father. I want to meet you.”

“I'm not sure if that's a good idea.” Astrid said back. What if my father wakes up?”

“If he was going to wake up, he would have already.” He assured her. “I made some noise as I came in.”

“I heard.” She laughed quietly bringing one of her hands up to the door, resting her palm against the wood and smiling. “Why do you want to meet me?”

“Your father has told me a lot about you.” He told her. “And I watched you reading. I want to get to know you.”

“What if I don't want to meet you?” She said. “What makes you so interesting?”

“Not much.” He admitted. “But I like to invent things, and I know you've read some of your father's books. I wanted to know if you liked to invent as well.”

“Oh.” That made sense to Astrid, he wanted to know someone who was like him. “No, not really.” She said. “I only read them when there's nothing else.”

“That's okay.” He whispered. “I still want to meet you.”

“Not tonight.” She told him. “How about tomorrow?”

“Where will you be?” He asked. “Should I come back here?”

“No, I'll meet you at the edge of the village.” She thought for a moment about where she could meet him with no chance of being seen by anyone who might be looking out their window in the middle of the night. “There was a forest, near the beach.” She told him. “Go there.”

“Okay.” She heard his feet move. “Goodnight, Coppélia.”

“Goodnight, Hiccup.” She waited until it was quiet and then picked up her dress, changing back into her own clothing before heading back to the house.

The next night Astrid went to bed with her hair pulled back. She would have to either cover it, or figure out some way to put Coppélia's wig over her own blonde hair. She braided it back and got into bed, staring up at the ceiling, not tired at all, and waited until the lights went out along the street. She got up and walked to the workshop, as she had done the night before and pulled on the same dress she had the night before, looking at herself and pulling the wig off of Coppélia's porcelain head, feeling the cold lines of her face, and going back to the mirror. With dark hair she looked different, and she wasn't sure if Hiccup would recognize her or not, and to be honest, she wasn't sure what would be better. If he recognized her, the joke would be over, and her little game wouldn't be able to continue. Astrid would be forced to tell him that Coppélia wasn't real. Maybe then he would believe her theories about Copper being a little bit off. But on the chance that he didn't know it was her, what then? She didn't know anything about Copper's life, how would she lie her way through talking to him about a past that she didn't have. _But Coppélia doesn't have a past either_ , she reminded herself, _she's not real_. With that working in her favor she headed out, going to the small patch of forest that she had told Hiccup to go to.

She walked slowly towards the trees, her heart starting to beat faster as she neared the edge of the forest. Eventually he came into view, leaning on one of the trees and looking towards the water. He looked peaceful, but the movements of his hands at his sides and the tree he stood next to gave away the anxiety that was inside him. She walked forward, careful not to make a sound, and making her voice sound as it had the night before, finally spoke.

“Hiccup?” He turned to her quickly, his face hidden in the shadows coming from the trees, but she could see the tension in his shoulders.

“Coppélia.” He took a step forward, nearly tripping on the roots of the trees at the edge of the forrest. “Hello.” He held out his hand and Astrid smiled. “It's nice to meet you.” She reached out and took hold of his hand, shaking it softly and pulling back, silence spreading between them and filling what little space was left.

“So.” Astrid said, clasping her hands in front of her. “You wanted to meet me.”

“I did, or I do? I-” He groaned. “I'm sorry.”

“No, it's fine.” She laughed softly. “I'm nervous too.”

“Do you want to-” He gestured to the edge of the forest where the trees met the sand. “Do you want to go for a walk, or something?”

“That sounds nice.” She picked up her skirt and followed him, walking slowly as they fell into a comfortable walking pace.

“Do you like it here?” He asked her eventually. “In Berk I mean.”

“It's a nice place.” She told him, nodding and looking out over the water. “I like the sunshine.” She hoped that was something the real Coppélia would say, and then thought to herself, _I am the_ real _Coppélia_. “There's less people here.”

“Do you miss it?” He asked her. “Does it seem quieter here?”

“No, I don't miss it.” The words felt strange, but Astrid wasn't sure why. Coppélia wasn't real, Astrid wasn't really impersonating a person, was she? “It's quiet here but I like it.” She would tell him at the end of the night, she decided. She would make sure that he knew Coppélia wasn't real, and that her initial suspicions about Mr. Copper being a little odd were correct. They continued walking and talked about life in Berk, their small talk going nowhere until Hiccup asked her if she would meet him again the next night.

“Hiccup, I-” Astrid began, and she looked up at him, feeling her face redden as she met his eyes and shook her head. “I-”

“It's okay.” He pulled back from her slightly, ducking his head and moving away from her further. “I get it.”

“What?”

“Thanks for coming to see me tonight.”

“That's not what I mean.” Astrid grabbed his hand. “I want to see you again.”

“You do?”

“Yes!”

“Okay.” He smiled at her and moved to hold her hand with both of his. “Do you want to meet here again tomorrow night?”

“Yes.” She nodded and held onto him. “I do.” For a while longer they talked together, walking along the edge of the forest and onto the shore, moving between patches of moonlight until Astrid saw him yawn.

“You should go to sleep.” She told him. “You have to be at Co-at my father's early.”

“You'll be up too.” She reminded her. “You're always reading by the time I get there.”

“But you'll be working.” She smiled. “I just read.”

“You'll have to tell me what kinds of books you're reading.” He said as they walked back to the patch of trees that they had first met at. When they reached the edge, Hiccup turned to her and smiled softly. “Thank you for coming here.” He looked down at his hands. “I know it was a risk for you to go out without your father knowing.”

“I wanted to see you.” She said truthfully, as both Coppélia, and Astrid. “I like talking to you.”

“And I like talking to you.”

“Until tomorrow then?” He said, finally looking up and meeting her eyes. Astrid felt herself flush, and unable to speak, she nodded, watching as he walked away toward town. She stood still for a few more seconds, pressing a hand to her chest to feel how her heart had sped up. Had he always been that kind? That considerate? She thought about it some more, walking back towards the workshop. She thought about him as she put Coppélia's dress back in the dresser, walking out and going back to her own home, and even as she climbed into bed, looking up at the ceiling. Deciding that yes, he had always been the same, even though his kindness was often hidden beneath a layer of jarring comments and sarcasm, it was always there.

The next morning when Astrid got up she decided that the next time she saw Hiccup, she was going to tell him that Coppélia wasn't real. That she was the girl he had spent the night talking to. She wasn't really surprised he hadn't recognized her. It was dark, and the hair of the wig had covered part of her face, and he had never seen Coppélia before. She was whatever Astrid had molded her into, and now existed as an extension of her own personality. What would Hiccup do when he found out that it was Astrid he had talked to the night before? That it wasn't the beautiful inventor's daughter that he had met at the edge of the woods. Astrid found herself thinking about Hiccup throughout the day, and the way that he had looked at her while he thought she was someone else. It was heartbreaking in a way, to see the excitement and wonder on his face when she had said yes to seeing him again.

It was the same look that she saw on his face when he finally found her at the end of the day, standing on the beach like she always was at sunset, looking out over the water as he recounted to her the events of the previous night.

“She's your height.” He told Astrid. “And her hair is beautiful, and she's interesting, and I'm meeting her again tonight.” He smiled. “Thank you for this.” He touched her arm for a moment, meeting her eyes. “Thank you, for Coppélia.”

“It's no trouble.” She said, trying to keep her smile genuine. She took a deep breath and tried to figure out a way to tell him the truth, but before she could he had started talking again.

“And I just can't believe that she wants to see me again.” He shook his head. “Me. Can you believe it?”

“I can.” She turned to him. “It doesn't seem so far fetched.”

“I'm going to go try to get Copper's reading done before it gets too late. “He gestured to the book he was holding. “Might even be able to sleep for a little while before I see her again.” He reached out and took her hand for a moment, looking down between them. “Have a good night, Astrid.” He looked up at her, and his smile made her heartbeat quicken. It was what she had felt the night before, and continued to feel as he walked away. She reminded herself that she was the one he was meeting, and that whatever it was that made her skin tingle at the sight of him would most likely be back that night. So what if he still thought she was Coppélia? What harm could one more night _really_ do?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking around everyone, happy reading!


	6. Lovestruck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to take so long with this one, it's been a hectic week. Hope you enjoy and happy reading!

The day dragged for what seemed like an eternity for Hiccup the day after he met with Coppélia for the first time. He glanced at the clock as many times as he looked toward her silhouette sitting in her chair outside, reading while he worked with her father. She looked peaceful, sitting by herself in the sunshine, and he wondered if she thought about him as much as he thought about her, or if when he wasn't looking she was sneaking glances at him, like he was when Copper was occupied elsewhere. By the end of the day he was running out the door to get home, reading as fast as he could and trying to make sure that he would be ready to meet with Coppélia again later that night. He even tried fixing his hair to not look so shaggy, and found clothes that were cleaner than his normal workshop wear, wondering if she would notice, and whether or not she would think it was silly.

As much as he wanted to impress her, he wasn't sure how to yet, and he wasn't sure how to find out. He guessed that spending time with her would help, and that meeting with her again would give him a better idea of her as a person, especially now that he wasn't quite so nervous. He had been close to delirium the night before, talking to her in astonishment as she showed interest, and barely able to remember the words that were spoken as he tried to pull moments from his memory. The sun couldn't set fast enough, and the sounds of the village could not fade soon enough. He watched as the last few houses grew dark, wondering if she was as excited to see him as he was to see her. Getting up late in the night he headed for the same small patch of woods that they had met at the night before, waiting patiently, pulling his collar around his neck in the chilled night air.

It was still summer, but the darkness brought a wind off the water that was rarely warm and always smelled of salt. One that Hiccup closed his eyes to now and breathed in deeply, leaning back on a tree and listening to the soft sound of water lapping at the sand just beyond the trees. He had never thought of Berk as a peaceful place, so full of people being too loud too often. But he had never taken time at night to appreciate how lovely the silence could be. His reverie ended when a stick snapped nearby. He opened his eyes and nearly tripped, standing up straight as he turned to find Coppélia standing before him.

“Sorry!” He said, laughing as he righted himself. “You just looked so serene standing there, I didn't want to disturb you.”

“How long were you watching me?” He asked, taking a step forward and brushing some of the bark that had fallen onto his shoulders onto the ground.

“Just a few seconds.” She shrugged, but she ducked her head and played with a strand of her hair, smiling before looking back up at him. “I'm happy to see you though.” Her voice soft as it was carried to him. “How was your day?”

“It was good.” He told her. “I kept trying to get your attention, but you never looked away from your book.”

“Oh.” She seemed slightly taken aback by this. “Yes, I try not to get distracted, and I would hate for you to get in trouble with my father.” She finally met his eyes. “He's very strict when it comes to me.” Hiccup nodded and looked at her face in the moonlight, the darkness of her eyes appearing paler in the brighter light, the sky unclouded as he motioned for her to walk beside him along the beach.

“You're not worried someone might see us?” She asked, allowing him to take her arm. “That someone isn't still awake?”

“We can walk this way.” He gestured away from the village. “I just didn't want you to get tired and be too far away from the workshop.” She laughed at this and covered her mouth, shaking her head and pulling him around to walk away from the village.

“Don't worry about me getting tired.”

“Your father says you're fragile.” Hiccup teased and she shrugged her shoulders. “He says you have trouble walking on your own.”

“My father thinks he knows what's best for me.” She sighed. “But I can walk just fine.”

“That's good.” They were mostly silent for a while, Hiccup occasionally asking if Coppélia was alright, making sure that she wasn't getting too tired as they walked along the shore. They talked about Berk some more, and Hiccup told her some of the details of the accident that had resulted in his peg leg, recounting the morning with a tightness in his voice that made her stop to comfort him, taking his hand and making sure that he was okay, and could continue on before deciding to turn around to start heading back.

It was a different kind of Hiccup that Astrid was witnessing. One that was vulnerable in a way that he hadn't been with her. One that told her the fears of what had happened with the bell, and voiced his concerns for how the rest of the village saw him. She understood the reason for saying all of this to who he thought was Coppélia. An outsider would have a very different take on what had happened that day, and would be able to listen without judgement as he spoke about the disappointment he had felt after losing part of his leg. She nodded along to what he said, biting her bottom lip to keep the tears at bay as they neared the trees once again.

“I'm sorry, you don't need to hear all of those depressing thoughts.” He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair, but Astrid was aware of when he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, turning slightly away from her as though guarding any emotions from her before smiling again. “What do you want to talk about?”

“I don't know.” She shrugged, still unable to think after hearing his thoughts. “Is your leg still feeling okay?”

“Oh, yeah it's fine.” He assured her. “It only hurts if I've been on it for really long periods of time.”

“But, don't you stand in the workshop all day?” She asked, thinking about him standing on a hardwood floor all day without rest. “And then you sit down for a little while before coming here, how does it not hurt?”

“I don't know.” He shrugged. “I guess I was just really excited to see you again so it didn't matter.” He ducked his head. “I didn't want to miss this.”

“Neither did I.” She admitted. “I'm glad you're here.” She looked toward the shore. “But we could sit down somewhere.”

“Really?” He asked, following her gaze. “On the beach?”

“Why not?” She took his arm again and led him close to the water, leaning down to feel the sand. “Tide's coming in.” And sat down without another word. “The sand is dry and still warm from today.”

“Okay.” Hiccup was slightly skeptical, but as soon as he sat beside her he was smiling. He leaned back slightly on his arms, and inched one so that it was behind her, giving himself the illusion that she was sitting in his arms. A few moments later she too leaned back, Hiccup pulling his arm away as she made contact with it. But without speaking, she took hold of it and put it back behind her, leaning on it for support and looked out over the water, pulling her knees up to her chest and sighing.

“This is my favorite place to be.” She said softly, the tone of her voice more relaxed now, and Hiccup forgot for a moment that it was Coppélia sitting beside him, the way she spoke and acted reminding him of Astrid and her love of the water.

“I like it too.” He said, looking at her profile and smiling. She turned to find him watching her and blushed.

“What?”

“Nothing.” He shook his head. “You just remind me of someone I know.”

“Oh?” She turned back to the water, using one arm to grip her knees a little tighter, the other one messing with her hair as she dared another look at him. “Who?”

“My friend Astrid.” He told her. “She likes it out here too.”

“What's she like?” She asked him, unable to resist.

“She's tough.” He said without hesitation. “But she's kind as well.” He smiled. “She was the one I pushed out of the way when the bell was falling down.” He motioned to his leg. “Which resulted in this.”

“Do you regret it?” Her voice wavered. “Do you wish you had let it hit her if it meant you would have both feet?”

“Never.” He shook his head. “I hope you can meet her. She's great.”

“I hope so too.” She relaxed after that, and the quiet that fell between them was peaceful and content as both continued to look over the water. When the tide started to creep closer to them, and Hiccup yawned, covering his mouth and trying not to laugh as she turned to look at him, shaking her head and getting to her feet.

“Alright, you have work tomorrow.” She brushed the sand off her dress and helped him to his feet. “And I have a new book, we should both be getting to bed.”

“When can we do this again?” He asked her as they headed back for the trees. “Tomorrow?”

“You aren't getting tired of me?” She asked. “And you're not exhausted?”

“No.” He took her hands. “I want to see you again. As much as I can.”

“Okay.” She felt his fingers weaving through hers and didn't pull away, looking down at how they interlocked and then back up at his face. “Then tomorrow, same place, I'll see you.”

“Good.” He began to pull away but she held onto his hands, hesitating for only a second before reaching forward and kissing his cheek.

“Thank you.” She whispered, and pulled away, disentangling herself before he could stop her and quickly walking away, disappearing into the night as he watched her go. He smiled at her retreating form and walked back to his own home, going to sleep with a smile on his face that was put there by her kiss and her willingness to meet with him again, giving him hope for the next night as he closed his eyes.

As Astrid walked away from Hiccup she pressed her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide as she tried to reason with herself. _You kissed him, you kissed him, you kissed him_ , was all she said to herself as she walked back to the workshop, looking at herself in the mirror as she wore Coppélia's clothes, and remembering that it wasn't Astrid who had been walking with him tonight. That it was Coppélia who had kissed his cheek and made plans to meet again. Something she had wanted to put an end to that night, but now wasn't sure she could. As soon as he had looked at her, any plans to tell him the truth had disappeared. The wonder in his eyes at seeing her and the adoration that had seeped into the coldest parts of her soul were too enticing to give up just yet. She had no long term plans for what was going to happen with them. She couldn't just pretend to be Coppélia for the rest of her life, convince Copper that somehow his doll daughter had come to life in the night and that Astrid Hofferson was missing. It was a problem that would have to be addressed at some point, but Astrid couldn't seem to care about it yet. What harm would it to, continuing this just a little bit longer, who was she really hurting with this white lie that would end as soon as Copper “sent” his daughter away again. She was only temporary right? She had to be.

Astrid hadn't thought of that. Of how long Copper was actually planning on staying, and how long Hiccup's relationship with “Coppélia” could actually last before she was gone again, forgotten and out of all their lives for good. She didn't even want to think about the alternative, which resided somewhere in between Hiccup deciding that when Copper left, he would go too, staying on as his apprentice, but mostly following Coppélia, or him trying to convince her to stay in Berk with him. Both options equally terrible in her mind, were both possibilities as she closed her eyes, the headache forming behind her eyes keeping her awake longer than it should have, and an evening that had been so nice in the present was quickly being poisoned by her own thoughts as she fell asleep. She would deal with it in the morning, she would deal with it later. She would figure out a way to get Hiccup to stay, and Copper to leave, and for all of them to be happy. She would figure it out.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter should be up sometime this weekend!


	7. Walk in Moonlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been sick this week, thanks for sticking around!

In the days following their second meeting, Astrid was able to avoid Hiccup, as both herself and Coppélia. It wasn't easy, and it wasn't even something she wanted to do, but her feelings were becoming harder and harder to sort out the more she thought about it. She liked spending time with him, she wanted to see more of him when they weren't simply walking across the center of town. She liked the slow way that he talked when there was no one else around. But he liked Coppélia. Not Astrid. He liked her dark hair, and the way she read all day, he liked her brilliant father, and how fragile she appeared to those around her. Astrid couldn't be any of the things that Hiccup liked about Coppélia.

It was something she had realized when she woke up in the morning, trying to justify to herself that telling him who she was wasn't a good idea. She had tried to convince herself that if she told him it would be fine, that he would accept her as Astrid and would want to be with _her_ instead. But as she thought about it, there wasn't any reason for that. The truth was she couldn't be any of those things, and it ate her up on the inside to think of him pushing her away when he found out not only that he had been talking to Astrid, but that Coppélia, the girl he idolized, wasn't real. That even if Astrid stepped aside and allowed him to meet the real Coppélia, she was nothing more than the doll that laid down at night in a bed made for a living girl, and who sat outside in a chair, basking in the sun that would do nothing to warm her porcelain exterior. She thought about it as she saw his coppery hair from a distance, stopping and waiting until he was gone before continuing on her way. She thought about it as she skipped going to the beach to watch the sunset and simply went home, and she especially thought of it when she fell asleep with the lights of the town reflecting into her room, telling her that there were still those around her who weren't asleep.

But a week after their second meeting, Hiccup was starting to get nervous that he had done something wrong. He hadn't seem Astrid in days, and he was starting to get worried that something had happened to her.

“Why should I tell you where she is?” Hiccup asked one of the women that she worked with, following her as she continued. “She comes into work, and she goes home.”

“Ruth, please.” Hiccup pleaded with her. “I just want to know where she is, and if she's okay,”

“She's fine.” Ruth eyed him and shook her head, her gaze falling to his prosthetic leg for a moment before back up to his face. “But she does talk about you sometimes.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” Ruth seemed displeased at her own response and crossed her arms over her chest. “She hasn't been to the beach either?”

“No, I check there at sunset.”

“Then go to her house, if you're nervous about her parents there's a back door that leads right to her room, go there instead.”

“Okay.” He took Ruth's hand. “Thank you.”

“Don't tell her I told you.” She insisted, pulling her hand away, her serious demeanor never wavering for a second. “Now get out of here.”

“Yes, ma'am.” Hiccup smiled and left quickly, going back to his house and working on some of the plans that he was planning on giving to Copper the next day, waiting until the lights had started to go out before leaving, walking in the shadows to Astrid's home and going around to the back. He thought of her on the other side of the door, hoping that she was still awake, and that she would be willing to at least talk to him. He didn't know who else he could confide in about Coppélia, and the time they had spent together. She was the only other person in Berk who knew her at all. He walked up to the door, his hands shaking, and knocked softly. He heard someone within, but no one came to the door at first. Then a little more noise, before finally it opened.

“Hiccup?” Astrid rubbed her eyes and looked up at him in shock. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to talk to you.” Hiccup smiled at her.

“In the middle of the night?”

“I haven't seen you at all.” He shrugged, and looked behind him as though someone was watching. “Can I-” He laughed awkwardly. “Can I come in?”

“I guess.” She opened the door and let him in, taking her own look around the back of the house before closing the door and facing him. “What do you want to talk about?” She was slightly breathless, watching him run his fingers through his hair and eventually look at her.

“I, well I wanted to know if you could go and see Coppélia again.” He looked at the floor. “I don't want to risk being caught by Copper, and you were really good at it before, and she listened to you-”

“Hold on.” She interrupted him. “You want me to go talk to her, _again_?”

“Yes, please.” He looked up to meet her gaze. “I don't know what happened.”

“Did you say something to upset her?” Astrid couldn't resist asking. “Did she say she didn't want to see you again?”

“Not that I can think of.” He looked more worried than ever. “I don't know what happened.” Astrid wasn't sure how to respond. The easiest thing to do would be to say yes, and then tell him later that Coppélia wanted nothing to do with him. That she was done with whatever had been between them, and be there for him as a friend. But she wasn't quite ready to give up seeing the way that he looked at her when he thought she was something else. Talking to him now, she knew it was too much to give up so easily. So she found herself nodding, and saying yes.

“I'll talk to her tomorrow night.”

“Thank you.” He walked closer to her and took her hands, smiling at her like he did to Coppélia. “I'll see you tomorrow.” And for a moment Astrid could see the Hiccup that he allowed himself to be at night when he was with Coppélia. After he left Astrid went back to bed, tears pricking her eyes for a moment before she fell asleep, trying to figure out what to say to Hiccup that Coppélia _did_ want to see him again, without losing her own sanity in the process, wondering how to pass the information off. Would it be better to simply tell him that yes, the night after she would meet him again, or have him go and see her? Or should she say no, and tell him the truth. Every time the opportunity presented itself a little piece of her conscience told her that it would be better to just tell him. But she pushed that notion out of her mind as she found him later in the week, telling him that Coppélia would again meet with him in their usual place by the forest that night, and she pushed it out of her head even further as she slipped into Coppélia's clothes and went to see him.

He was standing against a tree like he had been on the other nights of their encounters, watching him for a moment and sighing to herself before continuing forward.

“Coppélia.” He stepped forward further into the moonlight. “I'm so happy to see you.”

“Me too.” She continued to walk forward until they were directly in front of each other. “How have you been?”

“I missed you.” He told her, taking one of her hands in his. “Why did you stay away for so long?”

“I was tired.” She told him, looking at their hands. “I was tired from being awake at night, and then during the day.”

“So you stayed away?”

“I just needed to sleep, and get some rest.” She shrugged her shoulders, but allowed him to continue holding her hand.

“Your father said you were a little fragile.” He said softly. “Are you sure you're alright?”

“Yes.” She nodded. “I'm fine now.”

“I'm glad.” He squeezed her fingers and pulled her along beside him. “We can go somewhere tonight.” He said. “We don't have to walk around like we normally do.”

“Okay.” She trusted him, and wanted to know where he was going to take her, smiling to herself as she realized that he was leading her to the small steam that led to the ocean. There was a small clearing that Astrid had loved to go to when she was younger. She was surprised that he knew about it, but pleasantly so as he sat down on the edge of the water, waiting for her to join him. She lifted the edge of the dress and reminded herself that later she was going to have to wash some of these clothes. She had been wearing them for hours, and now sitting on the damp grass was sure to do more damage, something that Copper would be able to see if he looked at all, and Astrid still wasn't convinced that he never looked at the dresses that he was putting his daughter in.

“What have you been reading lately?” She heard Hiccup's voice and had to pull her thoughts away from Copper. “Anyhting good?”

“Not really.” She shrugged. “I mostly just skim it over and over.”

“I could bring you something.” He told her. “I have some books, and you might like them.”

“What are they about?” She asked.

“Well they're not about different kinds of stones, or how to polish gems and build furniture.”

“That's more than okay.” She laughed. “I would love to read some of them.”

“I'll bring you one tomorrow night.” He said, and looked at her sheepishly. “That is if you want to...”

“Yes, I'll meet you again tomorrow.” She leaned closer to him, and without even thinking about it, kissed his cheek. He stopped smiling at looked at her, shock in his eyes as she put a hand over her mouth.

“What was that for?”

“Everything.” She told him, turning away from him, and trying to shield her reddening face with the hair of the wig that fell forward as she smiled to herself.

“Thank you for meeting with me.” He told her softly, leaning closer to her as she felt his hand on hers.

“You are very welcome.” She gathered her courage and faced him again, the sound of the stream beside him drowned out by the sound of her own heart pulsing in her ears. “I'm glad to be here.” She met his gaze, shifting closer for just a second and letting her eyes drop to his lips. She thought about it, and couldn't think of any reason not to lean forward and kiss him. There was no one else around, he was so nervous she knew he wouldn't try anything else, and most importantly, she really, really wanted to. So she did. Leaning forward ever so slightly, meeting his lips and closing her eyes as she heard his intake of breath.

His lips were slightly dry, but she didn't care, pressing slightly closer. When he finally pulled back, she opened her eyes and looked at him.

“Are you sure about this? Is this okay?” He was almost rambling as he continued to ask if she was alright.

“Hiccup.” She whispered, pressing her forehead against his. “Stop talking.”

“Okay.” His whisper was lost as she kissed him again, her mouth opening tentatively to see if he would respond. Smiling against his mouth he obliged and Astrid moved to wrap an arm around his neck. Her fingers weaving into the hair at the base of his neck. She felt his hand move tentatively to touch her waist, his thumb tracing circles into the fabric of her dress as she moved closer. She felt warm and giddy with emotions that she had no name for and felt the loss of contact when he pulled away for a moment, pressing his forehead against hers once more, his breathing shallow as she opened her eyes. Before she could speak his lips moved to her cheek, kissing softly, and whispering into her skin words that made her freeze, _Coppélia, Coppélia_ , suddenly, Astrid felt as though she was going to be sick, _Coppélia, Coppélia_ , and it was all too much for her as she pulled away again, muttering that she was tired and had to go to sleep soon.

“Can I see you again?” He asked as he stood up, helping her to her feet and holding her hands. “I'm sorry if I-”

“No.” She assured him. “You didn't, I mean-” She felt her face heating. “I wanted to kiss you.”

“Okay.” His voice was whispered and she started to pull away, letting him hold her hand as she walked back towards the village. They held hands until the last second, Hiccup kissing her palm before walking away, and Astrid going back to the workshop to change into her clothes. She took the dress with her that night and washed it, laying it out in her room before climbing into bed, falling asleep to dream of Hiccup kissing her again, only this time, it was her name he whispered.

 


	8. The Only Confidant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meant to post this yesterday, but I got so caught up in watching How to train your Dragon to celebrate it's 9th birthday instead of actually writing that it had to wait until today. Happy Reading!

Hiccup couldn't stop smiling in the days that followed his evening with Coppélia. He was happier than he had ever been, and wished more and more that he could talk to her during the day while he was at the workshop. He wanted to ask her to go to the summer festival that would be held in a few weeks, but he knew that there was no way Copper would let her out of the house for that long. The festival was to welcome the summer months and give everyone a small break for working through the spring. Hiccup had never been too fond of it in the past, but now that he had Coppélia, he wondered if there was any way they could share some part of the excitement together. He thought about asking her the next time he saw her, or maybe slipping a note under her door for her to find when she went back into the house for the night. They had made tentative plans to meet two days later, and he was getting anxious about seeing her again, hoping that she wouldn't be put off if he wanted to kiss her again. When the night finally came, Hiccup went to the forest and waited, leaning on the same tree and looking out over the same sea as he waited for her to arrive.

The moment Astrid saw him standing in the moonlight, waiting for her, she had to stop herself from running to him. That wasn't something Coppélia would be able to do, and for all intents and purposes, she was Coppélia. So she restrained herself and walked to him slowly, realizing that she was getting way too good at playing this part, and wondered what kind of person she was turning into. She had tried to convince herself that her feelings for him weren't real, that it was just his own affection for Coppélia that she felt and nothing more. But even she had barely believed that. The way that she thought and felt about him now couldn't be denied anymore. It broke her heart to feel so attached to him, knowing that as soon as it all ended he would want nothing to do with her. _When it ended_ , she thought to herself, listening to his stories about the last couple days at Copper's workshop as he took her hand, leading her through the forest once again and sitting beside the water as they had done before. She didn't want to think about what would happen when this dream she was living in came to an end. The stolen moments between them would have to be enough, she she knew they would only sustain her for so long. Maybe she would get over it quickly, but as she watched him, nodding and responding, she knew that it was a foolish notion. Who would have thought that Hiccup Haddock would be so hard to forget.

“Does your father ever let you leave the house?” He asked her abruptly after they had talked a little while about summer. “There's a festival coming up and I would love it if you could come with me.”

“Oh...” Astrid's eyes widened. “I don't think that's a good idea.”

“Would you ask him?” He took her hand. “I'll ask him, why don't I-”

“No!” She protested. “He won't say yes, and then he won't let you back to the workshop if you ask about me. That's just how he is.”

“You're not going to be young forever you know.” He pulled back slightly, Astrid realizing a second too late she had grabbed onto his arm a little more forcefully that needed. “You should be allowed out of the house. You don't seem all that fragile to me.”

“He's just set in his ways.” Astrid shook her head. “Can't this be enough?”

“For now, I suppose it is.” He shrugged. “But what about later?”

“Later?” She tried to meet his eyes.

“You know, I don't know.” He shrugged. “Later.”

“I'm not following.” But the smile on her face bled over into her voice as she tried to contain her feelings. “Could you explain?” He rolled his eyes at her.

“I just mean I wish you could leave the workshop during the day.” He took her hand again and kissed it, smiling at her. “I like you a lot.”

“Me too.” She said softly. “So much.” Without thinking about it she leaned forward, kissing him softly as smiling against his mouth as he pulled her into his arms. She sighed and wound her fingers in his hair, holding onto him as his hands found the small of her back, closing around her waist and bringing her closer until their chests were pressed together. But they were still sitting side by side, a position that Astrid felt was less than comfortable, and she used her weight to fall backwards, rolling so that he was half on top of her. He pulled away and looked down at her, his hair falling into his eyes and shielding part of his expression, but still allowing her to see the shock that registered there.

“Are you okay?” He asked, pulling back slightly. “Do you feel tired?”

“What?” She laughed. “No, Hiccup I'm fine.” She pulled him back to her. “This is just more comfortable.”

“Oh.” He said softly. “I see.” And he leaned down to kiss her again, pressing her into the dried earth his hands finding her waist and settling there, before moving up towards her head. Astrid panicked as his hands found her hair, pushing back slightly and looking up at him. She hadn't felt the wig slip at all, but every paranoid thought in her brain was screaming at her at once.

“What's wrong?” He asked softly. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine.” She lied, smiling and nodding. “I just don't like my hair being touched.”

“Oh!” He immediately pulled his hands away. “I'm so sorry.”

“It's okay.” She reassured him, running her fingers through his hair. She was content to just look up at him for a few moments longer, smiling as he moved to kiss her palm, her hands finding his cheeks and eventually sliding back into his hair as she pulled him down again.

The next day Astrid took Coppélia's dress to the large wash house that Ruth managed. She went after it was supposed to be closed, hoping that no one would see her, and made quick work of her task, finishing quickly and trying to sneak out. But Ruth had stayed behind to clean up in the back, finding Astrid with the dress in her hands and wondering what she was doing there.

“I don't think I've ever seen you here before.” Ruth said. “I always have to come to you.”

“I'll come by more often.” Astrid told her, willing her not to ask about the dress. “I miss you.”

“What have you been up to? I've barely seen you since your brush with death.”

“Not much.” Astrid shrugged. “Working.”

“I've seen you with Hiccup.” Ruth teased her, nudging her in the side. “We always said he was easy on the eyes.”

“What are you talking about?” Astrid asked. “I barely see him.”

“Oh?” Ruth was surprised. “He came here looking for you, he was worried about you and thought I might know where you'd gone.”

“And did you?”

“Yes, so I told him.” Astrid rolled her eyes, thinking back to when he had shown up at her house in the middle of the night. She had wondered how he had known about the back door, but in her happiness to see him, she had forgotten that it was strange. Now she knew who was responsible for the midnight visit.

“Is that really all you're going to tell me?” Ruth kept prodding her. “There has to be more.”

“There isn't.” Astrid insisted, starting to walk away.

“But you want there to be.” Ruth was following her. “Why isn't there? He clearly likes you back.”

“What are you talking about?” Astrid turned to her friend. “All he talks about is _Coppélia_.”

“Oh, I get it.” Ruth smiled, nodding her head. “You're jealous.”

“I am not jealous.”

“Yes you are, and you're blushing to, oh my gods I can't believe this.” Astrid continued to walk away from Ruth, who kept following her, out into the setting sun and back towards the center of town.

“If you're really not jealous then what is it?” Ruth asked, and in a strange moment of loneliness and exasperation, Astrid snapped.

“Meet me at my house tonight.” She told Ruth. “I'll explain everything then.”

“Okay...” Ruth nodded, deciding that it was a better answer than she thought she would get, turning away and heading back the way they had come while Astrid tried her best to hide the dress and made it back to her house quickly, trying to figure out what had possessed her to tell Ruth to meet her at her house. But she needed to tell someone. She was going crazy on her own with this secret, and Ruth wouldn't tell anyone, Astrid knew that. She looked down at the dress in her hands and sighed, dropping it onto her bed and falling beside it. There she stayed until a knock on her door brought her to her feet. She opened the back door for Ruth and closed it behind her, the dress clutched in her hands, mostly dry from being washed, and told her to follow her.

“Where are we going?”

“Hiccup is in love with the inventors daughter, Coppélia.” Astrid told her. “But he was nervous about talking her to her so he asked me to do it.”

“And did you?”

“That's where it gets complicated.” Astrid told her, opening the back door to the workshop silently and slipping inside, pulling Ruth along with her and silently making her way to Coppélia's room.

“Don't speak.” Astrid told her, making sure Ruth knew she was serious. “No matter what.” Ruth nodded and Astrid opened the door, closing it behind Ruth and looking to her, trying to gauge her reaction. At first, she didn't seem to notice, and Astrid couldn't blame her. It had even taken her more than a few seconds to realize what Coppélia was.

“A doll.” Ruth whispered, turning to Astrid, who silenced her again, nodding.

“Yes, a doll.”

“Then how-” Ruth looked at the dress and then to Astrid, who was pulling a black wig over her head.

“Astrid, please tell me you don't.”

“Don't what?” She said, tears springing to her eyes. “Pretend to be Coppélia? Sneak out most nights and meet him down by the water? Why on earth would I do that?”

“So you are jealous.” Ruth said softly. “But of yourself?”

“But I'm not her. _She's_ not even real.” Astrid took the wig off and crossed her arms, looking at the doll in the bed. “I'm real.”

“Astrid you have to tell him.”

“I can't. I don't know how. The way he acts when he thinks he's with her-” Astrid wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. “I can't take that from him.”

“Astrid, you _are_ that for him. There is no Coppélia. Whatever he likes about her is just what he likes about you.” Ruth sighed and ran her hands over her face. “You need to tell him.”

“I know.” Astrid nodded. “It's just hard.” They left the workshop quickly, not wanting to risk Copper waking up from the sound of their voices and walked slowly back to Astrid's house.

“We won't even talk about how creepy and weird it is that Copper had a life size doll in his house that he calls his daughter.” Ruth said as she and Astrid approached Astrid's house. “Although I'm not sure how I'll sleep tonight knowing that he's out there.”

“Yeah, I didn't take it that well either.”

“And you keep letting Hiccup go back to him.” Ruth shook her head. “You need to talk to him, and not just for his sake.” She took hold of Astrid's arm. “It's only going to get harder for you too.”

“I know.” She sighed and opened the door to her room. “I'll figure it out tomorrow.” Ruth left her after that and Astrid went to bed, trying to come up with ways to tell Hiccup the truth.

 


	9. Practiced Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> W O W. It's been a while and for that I apologize. It's been very hectic recently, and has only just started to slow down. I'll try to get better about this, as we're over halfway through now. Thanks for sticking around, and happy reading! -Jin

“I have something to tell you.” She said it into the mirror more times than she could count before finally gaining the courage to add any more words. She thought about what it would mean to tell him who she was, and what might happen after she did.

“I have something to tell you, and I'm sorry.” She eventually decided. Telling him she was sorry more than once was obviously the way to go, and she was prepared to ask for his forgiveness more than once. He meant more to her than she ever thought possible, and she wouldn't let herself think of a world where he rejected her forever. It just couldn't happen. They had plans to meet again the next night, and Astrid was trying to prepare herself. She had spoken to Ruth once again about what she felt for Hiccup, and how she wasn't dealing with it properly, which Astrid could have figured out for herself if she had thought about it more.

Hiccup on the other hand spent his day wondering how to make Copper understand that he was falling completely in love with his daughter without giving away the secret that they had been seeing each other in the middle of the night. He knew they couldn't tell him, but how else would he understand how much their relationship meant to both of them? He watched the back of her head as he worked, glancing over as much as he could, until Copper started to notice, telling him to get back to work, and scowling, going to check on Coppélia more frequently than he had in the past, and Hiccup hoped that she was feeling okay. He often worried about her health, since instead of sleeping, she spent hours with him. She kept insisting that she was fine, and that it wasn't bothering her at all to spend time with him, and a small part of him was relieved that she continued to meet with him. He didn't know if he could go back to only seeing the back of her head sitting in a chair outside, watching as she read books while he worked.

After a particularly late night with Coppélia, Hiccup was late for working arriving to find Copper standing at his workbench, arms folded over his chest and his face screwed up in a scowl that had Hiccup nervous for his future there.

“Where have you been?” Was all Copper said as Hiccup started to collect his work for the day. “I've been waiting.”

“I'm sorry sir.” Hiccup said quickly, glancing to Coppélia for a moment before turning back to Copper. “It won't happen again.” But his look to Coppélia had been spotted, and Copper turned to the window, his arms falling to his sides as he walked over to her, stepping outside while Hiccup watched, Copper leaning down and kissing her forehead as she continued to read. He was surprised that she didn't so much as move, as the Coppélia he had come to know was affectionate and lively. But she was also worried about what her father would think, and he guessed that keeping her appearance to him docile and fragile was safer than letting him know anything about the person she really was. When Copper returned he didn't speak to Hiccup, instead going to his own work and leaving Hiccup alone in the workshop.

He returned a few moments later with a stack of papers, dropping them on one of the tables and mumbling to himself. Hiccup didn't dare ask what was going on, and instead kept his head down until almost sunset.

“Make sure you're on time tomorrow.” Copper told Hiccup as he was getting ready to leave. “I won't be able to get as much done tomorrow.”

“How come?” Hiccup put his things away and turned to Copper.

“Coppélia and I will be moving on from Berk in the coming weeks.” Copper told him. “While it's nice here, it's too far away from the kind of care that Coppélia needs, her health is failing and we must get back to the city soon.”

“Her health? What's wrong? Is she going to be alright?” He clenched his fists by his sides, trying to keep his voice level as he asked about her. The last thing he needed, on top of being late, was for Copper to suspect that there was anything going on between him and Coppélia.

“She's just tired, that's all.” Copper told him. “Nothing to worry about, but we will be leaving nonetheless.”

“I'll be sorry to see you go.” Hiccup told him, and left quickly, hoping that these plans to move wouldn't get in the way of the plans he and Coppélia had made to meet later that night. He walked quickly away from the workshop and caught a glimpse of blonde hair heading for the shore. He followed her, hoping to ask her for advice on what was going on with Coppélia, since she had always been so helpful in the past.

“You look tired.” Astrid said as Hiccup walked up beside her. “Late night?”

“Yes, and I was late to Copper's today.”

“How was that?” Astrid crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow.

“Not good.” He confessed, and looked out over the water.

“I know _that_ look, what's wrong?”

“Coppélia.” He sighed her name, Astrid turning to him quickly.

“What about her?” She asked. “Did something happen?”

“Copper said her health is failing her.” He told Astrid. “He said she's been tired lately and I'm worried it's all the time we're spending together.”

“I'm sure she's fine, you said before he thinks she's weaker than she is.”

“That's not the problem.” He continued. “Copper wants to leave, he's started to make arrangements to go back to the city with Coppélia. What am I going to do?” He met Astrid's eyes and she could see the turmoil that brewed there. “I can't let her leave, but I can't do anything to stop it without telling Copper what's been going on. What do I do?”

“I don't know.” Astrid sighed and eventually turned away from him, crossing her arms over her chest a chill set into the air. “You really don't think you can go on without her?”

“I think I _could_.” He shrugged. “But I don't want to.”

“Fair enough.” She nodded.

“I wish there was a way that she could stay, without her father.”

“Maybe there is.” Astrid said softly. “You could marry her.”

“What?” Hiccup was shocked, he looked at her, to see if she was kidding, but her face was set as she turned back to him. “Marry her?”

“Yeah. It would allow her to stay without Copper being here.” She shrugged. “Isn't that what you want?”

“Yes but-”

“Do you love her?” Astrid cut him off, asking the question and looking up at him while she waited for his response. He thought about it for a moment, looking down at her familiar face. One that seemed much more ingrained in his head lately than it ever had before, and that brought him joy as he watched her. But the dark haired girl he spent his nights with crept back into his memory and he thought about Coppélia. About getting to know her, and how she was so different from what he had expected. How she was intelligent and kind, and gentle, yet tough.

“Yes.” His voice was hoarse by the time he said it. “I do.” And he could have sworn that Astrid sighed as he said it. But all she said before walking away was,

“Then I don't see what the problem is.” He watched her go and wondered if it could really be that simple. If he could go to Copper in the morning and ask to marry his daughter. If she would even say yes, and if her health really _was_ an issue. If it wasn't just Copper making her leave, and her own stubbornness had kept her from telling him how bad it was getting. He thought about it as he fell asleep, taking a nap before going out again, smiling at the idea waking up beside her, even once, let alone for the rest of his life.

While Hiccup slept and dreamed of his life with Coppélia, Astrid hit herself in the forehead a couple hundred times, cursing herself for putting the idea of marriage into his head. It was by far the worst thing she had ever done, and that included starting the charade in the first place.

“You are such an idiot.” She whispered to herself. “You are _such an idiot_.” But even as she reprimanded herself for what she had told him, she couldn't help but also remember the way he had smiled as he admitted his love. That he might have hesitated, but there had been such genuine emotion behind his gaze, that assuredly ruining her own plan was worth it because she could now say to the Hiccup in her head, _I love you too._

A few hours later Astrid left her house as she had been doing since Copper arrived, wondering if she should leave the wig behind, determined to tell him who she was, and ready to face whatever he said in return. She looked at herself in the mirror, and took a deep breath, running her fingers through her hair and hoping that this worked out. The blonde strands shining in the moonlight as she took them out of the normal braid she kept them in, letting it cascade around her shoulders. She almost never took her hair down, and having Coppélia's hair upon her head had been bad enough, but letting her own hair down? Almost too strange to consider.

She stalled longer than normal, and wondered if she should wear some kind of cloak, knowing he would notice her hair right away, and went back to the dresser to find one. Copper had stocked his “daughter's” dresser with every kind of dress Astrid could imagine, but there was nothing there that would cover her hair. Ultimately she settled on a scarf that she found, wrapping her hair up in it and looking at herself once again. Without the blonde, she looked like the Coppélia he was used to, and she closed the dresser, ready to leave. But as she went to open the door, she heard something from the hall, covering her mouth to keep from gasping and backing away from the door, she felt every inch of her body tense up as the steps came closer. She looked around, and thought about diving under the bed, but was worried it would make too much noise. Then, the door began to open, and she turned to the window, hoping she could get out before he knew who she was. But as she turned and rushed to the curtains she heard his voice, unlatching it as quickly as she could, she tried to force herself out. But the scarf she was wearing trailed behind her and she felt herself being yanked back, hitting the floor and beginning to lose consciousness, the last thing she saw before fading entirely was Copper's face, scowling as he recognized her.

Hiccup waited longer than normal for Coppélia to come see him. He almost fell asleep leaning on the tree, and pulled himself up quickly, worried he had missed her. But eventually he gave up, deciding that he would find a way to get in touch with her the next day, needing his rest more than anything as he fell into bed. The next morning Copper was beginning to pack for the trip, bringing trunks out of Coppélia's room and pulling some of his books off of the shelves. His movements jerky and strange as he moved, talking softly to himself as he went. But the strangest thing Hiccup noticed when he got there was that Coppélia was gone. No longer sitting in her chair on the back patio, he wondered if she was feeling alright, and if it could account for the fact that she had been missing the night before. He was worried that he would never get a chance to tell her he loved her, or ask if she would stay in Berk with him, and eventually worked up the courage to ask Copper one time.

“Can I see your daughter?”

“My daughter?” Copper's response was icy. “Why?”

“I want to get to know her.” Hiccup shrugged. “And I would regret it forever if I didn't get to speak to her at least once before you left.” He turned back to the patio. “And today she's not even outside, is she feeling alright?”

“Oh yes.” Copper's demeanor changed. “She's alive and well.”

“Oh, that's a relief.” Hiccup smiled. “It would be terrible if anything happened to her.”

“Indeed.” Was all Copper said before leaving the room again, Hiccup deciding that the answer was no, and he was going to have to figure out another way to see her. At the end of the day he left without another word about Coppélia, Copper telling him once again that they would be leaving soon, but handed him a book anyway, sending him off and telling him not to be late the next morning. Hiccup went home in slight disappointment, looking around for Astrid as he walked home, heading to the shore and looking out over the water, wondering where she was, and wishing that he could talk to her.

 


	10. Doll Awakened

The first thing Astrid realized when she woke up was that her head hurt, followed by the fact that she couldn't move. She was laying down in a bed, her hands and legs tied and a cloth shoved into her mouth, rendering her unable to speak. It took her a moment to recognize Coppélia's room with sunlight coming through the windows, and she had never noticed before how yellow the walls were, but now it was all she could focus on as she started to panic. Copper had caught her, and instead of turning her in, he had _kept_ her, was _keeping_ her, in his house. She heard someone approaching the door and closed her eyes, hoping that if Copper thought she was asleep he would leave her alone. It opened slowly and she focused all her energy on keeping her breathing steady, hoping that it would make him leave. She heard him coming closer, she evened out her breathing. She felt him sit on the edge of the bed, and while she was able to stand him being so close to her, she flinched when she felt his fingers on her cheek. She opened her eyes to find him looking at her with a sickly smile.

“You're warm.” He said to her, and Astrid had to stop herself from whimpering. “It's been a long time since my Coppélia was warm.” He stroked her skin a few more times before standing up, going over to the window and opening the curtains for a moment. “I bet you'd like the curtains left open, but we can't have anyone seeing you.” He turned back to her. “Not yet anyway.” Astrid watched as he closed them again and walked to the door. “Now, get some rest my darling, we'll be leaving Berk in the next coming days and I want you to be well rested for our journey.” He left without another word, closing the door and sealing her away from any prospect of help as she tried to pull herself free.

Her panic made the time go by much slower, although she wouldn't have known how much time has passed anyway. When it felt as though it had been hours she heard voices coming from the workshop, one that made her skin crawl, and one that made her heart leap. She couldn't hear what either of them were saying, but hearing Hiccup's voice so close to her made all of this worse. What was he going to think if she disappeared along with Coppélia? What would happen to him if Copper told him that she had been pretending the whole time? But he wouldn't do that, would he? No, Astrid didn't think so. Copper had said it had been a long time since his Coppélia had been warm, Astrid looked down at herself and noticed that she was wearing the nightgown that she had first found Coppélia in. He wanted _her_ to be Coppélia. He liked that she had been playing the part. In Copper's mind, Astrid was going to be his daughter, that was clear to her now. She just didn't see how it would work. People in Berk would notice when Astrid was missing, they would search the town, probably later that day, and would find her, tied up in Copper's house and rescue her. She would tell Hiccup the truth, and everything would be okay. She kept telling herself that it would happen as she listened to Copper and Hiccup talk, calming herself down as she looked at the door, not daring to close her eyes for too long. Hours dragged by as she stared at the ceiling, willing herself not to cry and feeling as the tears that began to fill her eyes seeped out and into her hair. She could hear Hiccup's voice and tried to pull herself free. She heard the door to the front of the workshop opening and she squeezed her hands into fists.

She felt so stupid. This was what she deserved for all the lies she had told, for the life she had been leading since Copper had come to town. That had been what he said right? She had wanted to be Coppélia, now she could. But she couldn't imagine what it would entail. A while after Hiccup left Copper came back into the room and told her it was time for dinner.

“I can't have you making noise, but you need to eat something.” He looked at her with narrowed eyes. “I need you to be a good girl.” He said. “I need you to be my Coppélia.” Astrid tried to contort her features in any way she could, hoping to let him know that she wouldn't cooperate with him no matter what he was asking. “Stubborn, we'll have to work on that.” He sighed. “Well, I guess you can go one night without food.” He turned toward the door. “But tomorrow will be different.” He opened the door to the hall and turned back to look at her. “Tomorrow we'll be moving on.”

Astrid didn't remember falling asleep, but she did wake up to find herself once again somewhere unfamiliar. But this time, she was moving. Her hands in her lap, her ankles unable to move, the gag in her mouth as it had been the night before, and this time, a rope hit her across the neck, keeping her from moving.

“Good morning.” Copper's voice sounded from across from her, and Astrid nearly jumped. She hadn't noticed him sitting there, and met his eyes to find him smiling. “How did you sleep.” She stared at him in horror, and then looked out the window, unable to see much as her head was unable to move forward, allowing her only a sliver of the countryside as they rode away from Berk. “Now, I need you to promise me that you're going to be a good girl.” He said the same words he had the night before. “You need to eat, and I won't take the gag out of your mouth unless I know you're not going to make any noise.” He seemed to be thinking as Astrid looked down at her hands, wondering if she could somehow get them apart without him noticing. But even if she did, the rope keeping her neck in place was more of a problem than her hands would ever be. She was completely trapped. Kept upright and still as the doll he called Coppélia had been for so many days, sitting in that chair behind the house and reading the same page of the same book every day.

“Coppélia?” He said the name as if he wanted her to respond. “Are you going to be a good girl if I take the gag out of your mouth?” She narrowed her eyes at him, but even as she did it her stomach growled. It had been over 24 hours since she had eaten, and her body was starting to notice. She wondered what he would do with her once they reached their destination, and decided that for now she would play along, knowing that it would be easier to escape once he no longer thought she would try. So she nodded and tried to smile, attempting to let him know that she would be silent if he took out her gag. “You're sure?” he asked, resting his hand on her cheek. “You're sure you'll be a good girl?” Astrid held back her grimace as she nodded, looking at him as he smiled. “I'm so glad.” He sighed and sat back, pulling out an apple and a small canteen. “I'm going to take out your gag now. Remember, Coppélia, no one likes a girl who screams.” He smiled at her and the playfulness of his features unnerved her. But he did it, slowly untying the knots and letting it fall away from her mouth.

“Don't think about screaming, my darling.” He said, holding the apple in front of her face. “The driver won't come to your rescue.”

“And anyone else who might hear?” She managed to say, her voice raspy and her throat dry. “What about them?”

“There's no one else around.” He held up the apple. “No one at all.” He held it closer to her mouth, and she hesitantly leaned forward. Was she supposed to eat it out of his hand? She didn't want to be this close to him, but she could see no other way, taking small bites of the apple as he held it out to her like she was a horse he was trying to break. After she ate Copper insisted on putting the gag back in her mouth, rendering her speechless once again as she looked out the window. Her mind wandered to Hiccup and she felt heartbroken for him. The Coppélia that he had known and loved was gone for good, and while she knew he would miss her more, she couldn't help but hope that some part of him would mourn the loss of her as well, of Astrid who had tried her best to make him happy. Who had been the girl of his dreams as long as she could keep the charade going, and had only been a little bit surprised when she was finally caught.

Eventually they stopped for the night, And Copper untied Astrid's feet, holding onto her from the neck and guiding her out of the carriage.

“We're stopping here for the night, and even though you're my daughter now, do not think for a second that if you try to run away I will not hurt you.” He whispered this into her ear as he led her up the stairs, the other patrons pretending not to see them as he led her away, locking her into a room and leaving her to attempt to wash up for the night with her wrists tied together, before looking around for something she could use to cut them. A knife that had been left behind, a particularly sharp edge to the dresser in the corner, or maybe a chip in the pitcher of water on the counter. But nothing came remotely near to helping her escape. She moved her wrists around in the ropes until they were rubbed raw and red, pulsing with pain as she looked at them and then to the bed in the corner. She wasn't going to make it any further in terms of getting away, that was hopeless, but she could get some sleep and think about it again in the morning, and she laid down, feeling uneasy, but safer than she had than when Copper tied her to Coppélia's bed and left her there. He seemed to think she was learning, and her extended freedoms were a reward for learning how to be a “good girl” as he called it. But Astrid was biding her time.

Copper came back to tell her goodnight, and also that they would make it to their new home the next afternoon.

“You're going to love it.” He said, pushing her back towards her bed. “Now go to sleep, you need your rest.” He smiled at her as she laid down. “My little girl.” He left without another word and Astrid told herself over and over that this would end. That she would find a way out of here and get back to Berk as quickly as she could, and back to Hiccup who she missed more with every hour she spent away from him.

She woke up the next morning with sore legs and arms, her wrists hurting from the ropes that bound them, and her ankles knocking against each other as she tried to sit up straight. Her neck hurt and her throat was dry but she didn't care. Copper came to untie her feet and give her something to eat and Astrid once again pretended that she was cooperating with him. That she was getting used to being Coppélia, and that being his daughter was what she had wanted. He led her back to the carriage and this time didn't tie the rope across her neck, allowing her to look out the window a little bit as they began their journey once again. It wasn't much progress, but it was a start. _Don't worry Hiccup_ , she spoke to herself, looking out over the landscape that was passing by, _I'm coming home soon_.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for sticking around. We're about 2/3 of the way through, and I appreciate the reads!


	11. Personality for Two

The front door to the workshop was locked when Hiccup arrived, something that had never been the case in the past. He thought it strange, but not alarmingly so as he walked around back to where Astrid had shown him how to get in, quietly slipping inside and looking around.

“Copper?” He asked to the hollow space, looking around for a sign that someone was inside. “Coppélia?” He looked toward the small patio she had sat on so many days and was surprised to find it empty, void of even the chair that she sat in. He looked around and noticed that most things were missing from their places, things that he knew Copper would have needed if he had planned on working that day, and Hiccup began to realize what had happened. Both Copper and his daughter were gone. He looked around at the empty room and walked slowly to the small hallway that housed both Copper and Coppélia's room, opening the door slowly and stepping inside. It was smaller than he would have assumed for Coppélia, and Hiccup was surprised that there were still a few dresses left behind. One that caught his attention as something he had never seen Coppélia wear, picking it up and holding it towards the light, looking at the bland color and style. Coppélia's clothes were always so vibrant. He had seen the colors before, and even now, holding it to the others that were left behind it was out of place.

But it looked familiar, he had seen this before, had seen it _recently_ the more he thought about it. Then it came to him, this belonged to Astrid. But what was it doing here? He knew she had talked to Coppélia at least once, as she had been the one to convince her to see him in the first place, but why would one of her dresses be in Coppélia's closet? He looked around for any other clue that Astrid might have left behind, a note that would solidify her friendship with Coopélia? Anything that would put to rest some of the questions that were flooding his mind. After finding the dress he walked back into the main part of the workshop and looked around. With nothing to do, he wondered if he should just leave, and eventually went out the way he came in, wandering around the center of the village for a little while before he started to head home. As he walked he thought he heard someone calling his name, and turned to find Ruth coming up behind him.

“Have you seen Astrid?” Ruth asked, grabbing onto his arms and looking up at him. “She's missing.”

“What?”

“She wasn't at work yesterday, so I didn't think anything of it, but today she wasn't in either so I went to her house and she was nowhere to be found.”

“She didn't say she was going somewhere?”

“No, she's just gone.” Ruth was panicking and Hiccup remembered the dress in the workshop. Had she gone _with_ them? Picked up and left with Copper and his daughter? Or was it something worse? He didn't want to tell Ruth his suspicions, but if something had happened to her while she was on the beach, her body might never resurface. Ruth looked at him again and then took a step back.

“Hang on, why aren't you at the workshop?”

“Copper's gone.” Hiccup told her. “He and Coppélia are just gone.”

“Gone?”

“The whole place is empty.”

“Hang on, was this _planned_?” Ruth asked. “Did you know he was leaving?”

“He had planned on leaving in a few weeks anyway.” Hiccup told her. “But then for some reason picked up and left. I guess it must have happened last night.”

“And that's it? They're just gone? Do you know where he might have gone?”

“No idea.” Hiccup shrugged. “But they're gone.”

“I don't like this.” Ruth crossed her arms over her chest. “Do you know where Copper lived before this? Maybe you can find him.”

“Good idea.” Hiccup nodded. “I have _some_ idea, but not much.”

“You start looking beyond Berk then.” Ruth told him. “I'm going to see if I can find anything else at Astrid's.” She walked away and almost told her about the dress he had found in Coppélia's room, but he shrugged off the feeling and headed toward his own house, trying to remember what Copper had told him about his life before Berk. He thought back to their conversations, and decided that the best place to start would be the village to the East, which Copper had mentioned being in before coming to Berk. Hopefully, he would be able to backtrack his way to where Copper had come from. With nothing to do in the workshop he didn't see any reason he couldn't leave, and without letting himself second guess his choices, started walking away from Berk. His leg started to ache after a few hours, but he kept going, eventually reaching the small town that mirrored his own, asking around about the inventor and where he might have gone.

“Nope.” Was the only response he got from most people. “Haven't had anyone like that around here.” But Hiccup kept going, until one shop owner told him that a man fitting Copper's description had been through the day before, and had bought a new women's coat, and had asked for directions.

“Thank you so much.” Hiccup told him. “This is a big help.”

“I hope so.” The man told him. “She's a lucky girl.” Hiccup left and started out to his next destination, walking through the pain that had started to grasp his left leg, making it to the next town by nightfall and staying at the local inn for the night and then continuing on, determined to find Coppélia.

Mere miles away, Astrid looked out the window of the carriage and then down at her still bound hands. The blisters on her wrists pulsing with pain as she focused on it, allowing her to think clearly as she came up with ways that she was going to escape, and ways that she wanted to kill Copper. She had thought he was creepy before, but there was something sinister in the way that he looked at her now. The way he treated her like a child and laid out her clothes, telling her that she was his good little girl, and that she would be so much happier once they reached their new home. She smiled along and pretended, surprised at how he believed her so easily. But it was easy for him to convince himself this was what she wanted. He had longed for his daughter for so long that Astrid's willingness was refreshing as it was unexpected.

“We're almost there.” Copper told her, taking her bound hands in his. “And then we'll start our new lives together.” Astrid nodded. “Tell me you're happy.” He began to squeeze her hands, and she looked up at him. The crazed expression in his gaze was back as she opened her mouth to speak.

“I'm very happy.” She said softly.

“Father.” He prompted, her hands still anchored in his as he held onto her.

“Father.” The word made her feel sick, but as she said it he let go, allowing her the relief she had been waiting for as he sat back. “I'm glad you're happy, my dear.” It was quiet for a while as Astrid watched the countryside fill in. More and more homes built closer and closer together, until it seemed they were in a city. She looked at the buildings, and while her situation was somewhat futile, she couldn't help but appreciate what she was looking at. They pulled up to a house and Copper helped her out of the carriage, a scarf covering the rope on her wrists, and her skirt hiding her ankles. Copper opened the door and ushered her inside.

“Welcome home.” The door closed behind her with a definitive thud, locking her inside as Copper showed her around, taking her up the stairs and to her room.

“We'll have your dresses brought up later, and then you can pick out some new ones as well.” He looked at her. “You have your mother's hair.” He smiled. “She would be so proud of you.” Astrid tried to smile as she looked around, Copper eventually leaving her, hands and ankles still tied and locked the door behind her. She wondered how long it would be before he trusted her not to runaway, and how long she would have to play this part before she could finally escape. Her room had a window, but it did not face the street, and while it let it some light, she doubted that if she screamed, anyone would hear her over the bustle of the city. She sat on the edge of the bed and for the first time since she had been taken captive, she allowed herself to truly cry. Great gasping sobs that rocked her body as she covered her mouth, tears pouring out of her eyes as she thought about home.

She wondered if people had started to notice her absence. If they thought she had just been feeling sick, or had been carried out by the sea that she loved to watch. She wondered if Ruth had started to ask about her, or if Hiccup had noticed that she was gone, or if he was too upset about the sudden disappearance of his beloved Coppélia. She looked down at herself and felt a chill go down her spine. In a strange twisted way, she was more Coppélia than ever now, and her dream of being the object of his affection had sort of come true in it's own twisted way. Even Copper thought of her as the _real_ Coppélia now. No, she was Astrid, she couldn't lose sight of that no matter how tempting it was. She was Astrid, and that was enough for her. She got up from the bed and looked at herself in the mirror. Coppélia was not blonde. Coppélia was not strong, Coppélia was not _real_. She told herself these things over and over, whispering to herself that she was real, that she was going home as soon as she figured out how. That while Copper's actions were random, and often volatile, it would not stop her from getting away. But she knew how to play the long game, and smiled when he came to check on her, thanked him for the cup of tea he brought, asked if she could have a book to read, and didn't even flinch when he kissed her forehead goodnight. _You're going to be okay_ , she told herself as Copper tied her ankle to the bedpost, _You're going to get out of this_ , she had to remind herself as he did the same to her bound wrists, and the thought that stayed with her as she closed her eyes, as she finally fell asleep, _what if you killed him?_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter was a little shorter than the others, but I'm going to be without my laptop until Monday or Tuesday and I wanted to get something done before then. Thanks for sticking around, and happy reading!


	12. Diary of the Damned

Hiccup's leg was throbbing, but he was getting close. He had been told that Copper lived in the next town over, and had for many years, often coming to the small village to show them his new inventions. Hiccup became apprehensive as he got closer and closer, seeing the large buildings in the distance. He stopped for a moment and felt his heart fluttering, he was going to see Coppélia again. He reached what seemed to be the center of the bustling city, and looked around, naively hoping that a sign would point him in the direction he needed to go. But nothing looked like it could be Copper's establishment, and so he walked toward one of the vendors on the street, asking if he knew anything about Mr. Copper or his inventions.

“He lives in the red house behind that building over there.” The vendor pointed. “Just got back I heard.”

“Thank you so much.” Hiccup said, but before he could turn away the man spoke again.

“It's a shame what happened to his wife and daughter though.” Shaking his head he looked at Hiccup with a grim expression on his face.

“What?” Hiccup was confused. “What happened?” He braced himself, holding his hands firmly at his side.

“Fever took them both.” He continued. “Damn shame.”

“What?” No, that wasn't possible, there had to be another Copper, Coppélia couldn't be she couldn't have- “When did this happen?” He asked. “How did it happen?”

“The fever came through about five years ago.” The vendor told him. “Both of them gone within the month.”

“Five years ago?” Hiccup was confused. “Mr. Copper, the inventor, brown hair, a little shorter than me.”

“That's the one.”

“And his daughter...” Hiccup prompted.

“Coppélia.” The vendor confirmed. “And her mother died five years ago, Mr. Copper hasn't been the same since.”

Hiccup walked away from the vendor, more confused than ever. If Coppélia had been dead for five years than who had sat and read every day while he and Copper worked, who had he met with in the middle of the night? And finally, a strange thought that overtook him, who was he in love with? He looked for the building the vendor had pointed to and set off towards it, wondering what he might find in the house once he got to it. The walk to the red house seemed like an eternity but finally he made it, looking at the door and at the curtained windows, wondering if Copper had already seen him coming, wondering what he would do now that Hiccup had finally found him. He took a step forward, and knocked on the door.

When Astrid woke up she knew that something felt different. She moved her hands, and noticed that there were no longer binds holding her hands together. She moved her arms in different directions, laughing quietly to herself as she felt the muscles in her back move in ways they hadn't in days. Her hands were still sore but she managed to dress herself, looking through the dresses for something she would be able to escape in, finding the plainest colors and lightest fabric, finding a cloak as well, hoping to hide herself, as no one else in this city really knew what she looked like. She could slip away without any of them knowing why Mr. Copper was looking for someone. _What if you killed him?_ The thought came back to her as she looked in the mirror, the reflection of her face becoming less and less confident as she thought about it. She wasn't sure if she could, and even if she could, did she really want to? Before she could think anymore, there was a knock on her door and Copper came back, smiling at her and telling her to sit down.

“How did you sleep, my dear?” He asked her, sitting beside her on the bed and taking her hand.

“I slept well.” She said, smiling at him and hoping he hadn't come to tie her hands up again.

“We have a busy week, so I want to make sure you're getting lots of rest.” He told her, before rattling off a few more events that required his attention. He left her a few moments later, and Astrid got up, deciding that she would have the chance to escape the next day when he took her in for the dress fitting. He couldn't possibly hope to come with her into the room, if she could somehow get out of the back, find her way to the edge of town and make a run for it, she would be free. She sat on the bed and laid back on the pillow. Hitting her head on the headboard and groaning, rubbing the back as she sat up. But as she did she heard a noise, something dropping to the floor under the bed. She knelt on the floor and reached under, wondering what it was that could have been crammed between the headboard and the wall. Pulling it out she found an old journal, red leather covering the front, a dark coppery color that was embossed with a large CC.

“Coppélia Copper.” Astrid whispered to herself “She really did exist.” And she listened for a moment, making sure that no one was coming, before pulling her legs under her and opening it to the first page.

 

_Hello Journal_

_You are a gift from Father for my 16_ _th_ _birthday. It's lovely to meet you, my name is Coppélia. Today was my birthday, and it was the best that I can remember ever having. Mother and I went and I picked out a new dress and some ribbon for my hair, and Father was in a very good mood. Sometimes I fear that he's going to hit me,_

 

Astrid stopped reading for a moment, looking to the door once again. Coppélia had been afraid of her father? She took a deep breath and continued.

 

_but so far he only hits his desk. Today though, he was in such a good mood. He smiled and laughed and kissed my cheek, and he even sang! He said he wanted to dance with mother, and sang so he could. It was marvelous and I hope that his good mood isn't just for my birthday and that it continues on until next year. Now I simply can not stop yawning, so I will speak to you again dear Journal._

_Je T'aime_

_Coppélia_

 

She flipped a few pages, noticing that the entries started to become longer as Coppélia talked more about what was going on inside her head, rather than the day to day activities of their household. She noticed that the end of the journal was empty, and flipped to the last few entries, listening again, terrified that Copper would come back and find her reading.

 

_Journal, you would not believe the day I have had. There is a terrible fever going around and everyone is losing someone they love. We have so far been lucky, but some have not been so lucky. There is a family I see walking together sometimes in the village who have two children now instead of four. There are new widows every day, children without mothers, and no one to look after them, as the dead take up so much of our time. Oh, if only I could help them. But Father won't let me outside anymore. He says I'll get sick, so instead I watch them from my window and wish them well. Father just came to check on me and I had to hide you under my pillow, he says I have to go to sleep._

_Je T'aime_

_Coppélia_

 

_Journal, the dead have mostly gone but the sickness still plagues us. Everyone has lost someone, and my mother has not left her bed in days. I am worried that somehow she too has become sick, but I never hear her coughing like the others, only crying. She says it's just her weak constitution. I don't know if I believe her, but I want to. I want her to be happy like I am, but she barely ever leaves the house, and father says that a proper Lady should be attentive to her husband, and a good wife should not leave him alone during the day, in case he needs her. He tells me to take note of the lessons he teaches her. That one day I might be married, and that I should be a proper wife. “You will be a good wife, Coppélia” he kisses my cheek whenever he says it, as though it'll make it true. “You will obey.”_

 

Astrid pulled herself from the words again and shuddered for a moment. What had his wife endured during her time in this house? She looked to the window and got up off the floor, taking the journal with her and placing it on the small desk, looking out the window at the street and wondering what it had looked like when Coppélia had looked out over the plagued streets. She looked back at the journal and opened it once again, looking to the last pages, at the scribbled writing, the urgency in the words as Coppélia spiraled.

 

_My mother is dead my mother is dead I dont know what to do my mother is dead she was alive this morning I spoke to her this morning shes gone I dont know what to do my father pushed her I saw him do it but he doesnt know I saw my father pushed her and she fell and she made a crack when she hit the floor my mother is dead._

 

Copper killed his wife, and his daughter saw it happen. Astrid noticed tears on the pages, making the writing even harder to reach as she continued.

 

_Journal, I am leaving. I have to get out of here. My father will no longer be my father. He killed my mother, and told everyone she died of the fever. He still doesn't know I saw him push her, and I let him tell me she had caught the fever and had been coughing for weeks, but I still think he suspects something. I'm scared that he's going to lock me up in this little room and never let me out. I thought I heard him standing out side the other night when I woke up for some water. I thought I could hear his breathing as I sat up. I dont want to be here anymore. I hate this place. I want my mother back._

 

There was only one more entry, Astrid could see, and she wiped her own eyes, closing her eyes for a moment and preparing herself for whatever the last words Coppélia ever wrote to her beloved journal were.

 

_Father has locked me in this little room. I'm scared, Journal. I'm scared of what he will do to me. Last week he told me to sit up straighter, and I tried, I tried to but he told me it wasn't good enough and took my food away. But I don't care about his temper. I have handled his temper. But tonight he told me that a good daughter never leaves her father. A good daughter did what her father told her to do. A good daughter obeys. He told me I looked like my mother and kissed me. Not like a Father should kiss his daughter. He kissed me on the mouth and held me against him. He told me to obey, to be good, but I will not. I will not be his daughter any longer. I am locked in this room, but I will find a way out. I will escape, no matter what._

 

Astrid put the journal down and stood up, turning to the door in horror, the tears in her eyes spilling over as she turned back to the journal. Copper was a _monster_ , worse than she could have imagined, and he was her keeper for the time being. The journal was proof of the terrible things he had done. But Copper had never found it, had never known of his daughter's true thoughts. Astrid picked it up and looked to the back of the bed, seeing a spot where the dust had been staved off by something in the way, letting it fall back into place before sitting on the bed, listening to hear if he was coming back and coming up with her own plan of escape, her whole body on edge as she looked at the door, unwilling to take her eyes off it. An eternity seemed to pass as she continued to look at the door, she wondered if there was a way she could sneak out now, of it that would be too risky. Instead she simply sat, until a loud noise sounded from the front of the house. Was it some kind of doorbell? She wasn't sure, but soon she could hear Copper going down the stairs, no doubt going to see who it was, and she looked out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse herself. As she did she nearly fell into the glass, a strangled cry escaping her as she saw who it was. She had no idea how, but Hiccup stood at the front door.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	13. Eerie Encounters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW. OKAY. SO. Alright my computer has been broken for about a week, but now that it's fixed, I wanted to get a chapter up as soon as possible. Thanks for sticking around!

The door was opened and Hiccup saw Copper standing before him. He smiled and gave him a small wave, but Copper looked shocked more than anything else.

“Hiccup?” He looked around, as if to make sure that Hiccup was alone. “What are you doing here?”

“I have to talk to you about Coppélia.” Hiccup said, “I-” But Copper cut him off, pulling him inside and closing the door firmly behind him. Hiccup looked around, the ornate fixtures on the walls surprising him. The workshop had always seemed so bare, and he had thought the rest of Copper's life would be the same.

“What are you doing here?” Copper asked him again, looking at him with eyes that shone. “How did you find me? Tell me!”

“I asked!” Hiccup took a step back, not wanting to take his eyes off the man in front of him. “I asked people and followed where they said you went.”

“And it led you all the way here?”

“Yes.” Hiccup told him, looking at the man in front of him and trying to place this demeanor to the Copper that he had known in Berk. “Are you alright?”

“I'm fine.” Copper's words were harsh. “What about Coppélia?”

“I love her, sir.” Hiccup said it before he lost his nerve. “I want to bring her back to Berk with me, or maybe I can find something here-”

“You love her?” Copper was looking at him with a strange expression. “When did you _meet_ her?”

“Uh...” Hiccup trailed off, letting his feet slide a little bit closer to the door. “I wrote her a letter.” Technically it was the truth, but Hiccup continued, knowing he would have to reveal their secret meetings eventually.

“And she wrote back?”

“Yes.” Hiccup told him. “She snuck out at night and would meet me at the edge of the woods.”

“At night?” Copper looked surprised, the anger in his face slowly morphing into realization. “How many times?”

“A lot.” Hiccup admitted, feeling his face grow warm as it became harder and harder to look Copper in the eye. “She's amazing.”

“But I do have to ask you something.” Hiccup still had unanswered questions. “I was talking to someone in the village and they told me about your wife.” He saw Copper tense. “And they said your wife, and your daughter died of disease.”

“Really?” Copper let out a strange laugh. “My poor wife, yes, she was taken, but my daughter, as you have seen you know she is real.”

“Then why would they-”

“I don't know!” Copper shouted, his hands going to his hair, eyes wild as he looked to Hiccup, who wanted desperately to ask to see Coppélia, but the expression on Copper's face kept him from pressing further. He backed away further, feeling the door against his back and pressing his hands to the wood, trying to find the knob that would set him free. But Copper was advancing on him quickly, saying over and over that he didn't know, that he didn't know _why_ someone would say that Coppélia was dead. “My daughter is not dead!” His voice getting louder and louder. “My daughter is _mine_.” Copper took hold of Hiccup's arms, and without Hiccup being able to shake him off, was thrown to the ground beside the door. “She's mine, and you will not take her from me!” Hiccup tried to back away, to get out of Copper's reach, but the weight of Copper fell upon him and Hiccup's head hit the floor, cracking against the wood and causing his vision to blur. “No one will take her from me!” He heard Copper say, looking up at him and trying to push him away, unable to shake him, he let his arms fall to the floor beside him, his head spinning badly.

Then, just as soon as the weight had landed on him, it was gone, ripped away as a flash of blonde hair fell into and out of his view.

“Get away from him!” Her voice was too familiar, the way that her arms moved and the way the color of her dress looked in the light of day. He sat up slowly, blinking back the pain that still filled his head, looking up and realizing who had come to his aid.

“Astrid?” His voice was hoarse, and she turned to him for a moment, the sadness and guilt in her eyes striking him as she ripped her gaze away, turning back to Copper who was still on the ground. She let out a scream and started to kick him, hitting him over and over in the gut, in the legs, and eventually the head. He curled around himself as she yelled at him, calling him a monster, a terrible father, asking how he could have done all those terrible things to his daughter, how he felt that he caused her death. Words that confused and intrigued Hiccup as the pieces of the story began to fall into place. Coppélia was dead, she always had been. It had not been Coppélia that he had been meeting with at night, not Coppélia that he had kissed, and not Coppélia that he loved.

When Copper stopped moving Astrid stepped away, taking deep breaths and wiping the hair from her face. She turned to him slowly, and he could see the tears in her eyes.

“Astrid.” He said her name again, reaching up as his head began to clear. The pain starting to fade as she knelt beside him. “What are you-”

“Shh.” She took his face in her hands. “Don't try to speak.” She moved his hair from his forehead, smiling at him sadly. “I'll explain everything later.”

“But-” He tried to protest, but the sound of Copper groaning brought them both back to the real world. Astrid turned to him, standing up and placing her foot on his throat, pressing slightly as he gasped for air.

“You are a _monster_.” Her voice was soft. “You are the reason your daughter is dead. You don't deserve to call her your daughter, not after what you did to her.” She stepped down a little harder and Copper tried to grab hold of her leg. But Astrid was ready, and letting out a yell she stepped completely upon his throat, and even through her cry Hiccup could hear the snap, even though his head was foggy he saw the moment Copper's body went limp. Astrid stepped back, gasping, her hands shaking as she looked at him.

“You, you ki-”

“I know!” She said, holding her head in her hands. “I know, but I had to.” She turned to him. “Hiccup he was worse than I thought, he-” She shook her head, falling to the ground and trying to hold herself together.

“Coppélia is dead, isn't she.” Hiccup spoke softly, moving closer to her. “It was you the whole time wasn't it.”

“Yes.” She didn't look up from her hands. “I'm sorry.” He reached out, trying to decide if he should touch her. _It's just Astrid_ , he tried to tell himself, _pat her on the shoulder_ , but after everything he and who he thought was Coppélia had been through, he wasn't sure if she would ever be _just Astrid_ again. But that was too much to think about.

“We have to get out of here.” He told her. “Someone might have heard you shouting, and they'll come looking to see what the commotion was.” Astrid finally looked up, nodding and wiping her eyes as he took her hands.

“Are you mad?” She asked him as they looked at Copper's body. But Hiccup couldn't even think about that yet, his mind still reeling from what she had just done.

“Let's get out of here.” Was all he said, slowly rising to his feet and pressing his palms to his eyes, feeling dizzy for a moment as she came to his side, touching him hesitantly and helping him to the door.

“What happens when someone finds him?” Astrid asked. “What's going to happen to us?”

“I don't know, I-” Hiccup shook his head.

“I have an idea.” Astrid said suddenly. “Wait here.” She was gone a moment later, running up the steps and coming back with a diary in her hands. Her dragged Copper's body over to the bottom of the stairs and dropped the diary by his head, spitting on him before walking back to Hiccup.

“Now if anyone finds him, they can read about how he treated his daughter.” He let her lead him out of the house and down the street, walking slowly and never speaking, until Hiccup asked if they could stop.

“Is it your head?” She asked, helping him to sit on the ground by the side of the road.

“No, my leg.” He told her, rubbing it and sighing as he took off his prosthetic. “I'll be fine in a little while.”

“And until then?”

“I guess we should talk about...” He gestured to her, and she looked down at Coppélia's dress.

“Okay.” She sat beside him, staring straight ahead and holding her hands in her lap, unblinking and waiting for him to speak. When he remained silent her hands moved her her hair, tugging at it softly, a nervous habit that she had developed years ago, coming back as she waited for him to respond.

“Do you have questions?” She began. “Other than why?”

“Not really.” He admitted. “I'm confused more than anything else.”

“I didn't mean for it to happen.” She repeated the words that she had told Ruth before everything had gone sour. “I didn't think it would end up like this.”

“Like what?” He tilted his head slightly toward her. “How is it ending?”

“I don't know.” She felt her throat growing tight. “I don't, I don't want-” She took a deep breath, and tried to continue.

“What don't you want, Astrid, please, tell me.” He sounded annoyed, and she knew he had every right, and shaking her head she turned to him.

“I don't want it to end.”

“You want to keep being Coppélia?”

“No!” She rolled her eyes. “I want to be with you!”

“Oh.” Was all he managed to say, “Really?” The surprise in his voice amused her.

“Yes.” She said, clasping her hands together. “I didn't think it would happen, but somewhere, while pretending to be someone else, I fell in love with you.”

“And while you were pretending to be a brunette, I think I got to know the real you, didn't I.” It wasn't really a question, but she nodded anyway.

“I told you the truth whenever I could.” She confessed. “I wanted you to figure it out, and I wanted you to be happy about it.”

“I did.” He smiled weakly. “Eventually.”

“I guess you did.”

“My leg is feeling better now.” He gestured to it, breaking the tension that had started to form between them. “It took me a few days to get here, and I just want to get back to Berk as quickly as we can.”

“Me too.” She sighed, getting to her feet and helping him up by the hands, pulling away slightly, but smiling when he refused to let her hand go, holding onto it as they began walking again. “Did anyone notice I was gone?”

“Everyone did.” He told her. “But most people assumed that you were carried off by the sea.”

“That would be a fitting way to go.” She admitted. “And a more likely story than being kidnapped by an inventor who caught me dressing up in his dead daughter's clothes.”

“Is that what happened?” He turned to her. “He found you in Coppélia's clothes and decided that he wanted to keep you?”

“Something like that.” Astrid shuddered. “I don't want to think about it anymore.”

They walked slowly down the road as the moon began to rise, deciding that there was enough light, and neither one wanted to sleep, allowing them to continue walking late into the night, until small lights in the distance told them of one of the villages that Hiccup had found on his journey away from Berk, and they stopped for the night. Hiccup only had enough money left for one room, and he did offer to sleep on the floor, but Astrid hugged him to her chest and walked backward to the bed with him still wrapped his her embrace.

“I just want you to hold me.” She whispered as he pulled away. “Please.” He looked at her, resting his hands on her shoulders, and slowly moving them up to her cheeks, cupping them to make her look up at him, before kissing her forehead gently. Silently they climbed into the bed together, facing each other and staring in the darkness. _This is what I want_ , Astrid thought to herself as her body allowed itself to relax, _this is what I want to keep_. And she fell peacefully asleep for the first time since Copper had come to Berk, listening to the sound of Hiccup's breathing and smiling to herself.

 


	14. Journey by Starlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WoW. OkAy. AlRiGhT. Well I meant to write more but then lot's of things happened. Almost done with this story, but we've still got a little left, thanks for sticking around! -Jin

When Hiccup woke up the next morning the room seemed too bright, the bed too soft. He tried to sit up, but found that an arm anchored him down, looking over to the blonde hair that covered his shoulder, smiling as she shifted in her sleep. Her face was peaceful, and her mouth soft. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, staring at her a moment longer before she finally seemed to wake up.

“Hi.” Was all he whispered as he eyes opened, locking with his as they widened. “How did you sleep?”

“Good.” Her voice hoarse. “You?”

“Very well.” Hiccup hadn't expected it to be quite this awkward between them. Yes, it had been a strange day, but everything about their relationship was a little strange. He closed his eyes, hoping that by giving her the chance to go back to sleep they could stay like this a little while longer, but soon she spoke, her body growing tense beside his.

“We need to get back to Berk.”

“Okay.” She sat up, running her fingers through her hair and blinking as the sunlight streams in. They get ready to leave in silence, steering clear of the other until it was time to leave. The road seemed much longer to Hiccup, now that he was heading back. He looked over at Astrid more than once to try and gauge how she was feeling, wanting to know her thoughts on their situation, and wanting desperately to ask some of the questions that were pushing on the inside of his skull. But he kept them to himself, walking beside her as the sun moved across the sky.

“Is your leg okay?” It's the first thing she says to him, and Hiccup noticed that he was limping a bit.

“It'll be fine.” He tried to smile at her but it came out more like a grimace. “Maybe a short break.”

“We should keep going tonight.” Astrid looked at the road, her arms crossed over her chest. “We've been away long enough.”

“Okay.” Hiccup sat down on the side of the road, Astrid standing over him, watching the few people that walked by, smiling at them, telling them to have a good night, Astrid responding with a smile plastered on her face that Hiccup knew well.

“I think I'm good to go.” He told her after a while. “We can keep going.”

“Alright.” Astrid held out her hand to help him up, and Hiccup took it, standing in front of her as she looked up at him. “Let's go.” But she didn't let go of him, keeping him beside her as she began to walk forward. He didn't say anything about their clasped hands, but as the sun disappeared, he couldn't contain himself any longer.

“Can I ask you something?” She stopped moving, looking forward, her whole body tensing as she nodded. “Why? Why did you do all of this?”

“That isn't such an easy question to answer.” She started walking forward again. “Why did I do what? Go with Copper? Pretend to be his daughter? Lie to you? Take your pick.”

“All of it.” He told her. “I want to know all of it. We have time.”

“Originally I didn't want to pretend to be her. I thought she was real.”

“And you went to see her, because I wanted you to.” Hiccup nodded. “And she wasn't.”

“But you wanted her to be, so badly, so I talked to you through the door.” She shrugged her shoulders. “And then I put on the wig, and I was going to surprise you.” She laughed humorlessly at herself. “I don't know what I was thinking, but I wanted to show you that Coppélia wasn't real.”

“And instead?”

“Instead?” She looked at him. “I wanted to see you again, as someone other than Astrid.”

“Why?”

“Because you were different when you thought I was her, you talked to me differently and I liked it.”

“You should have told me.” Hiccup said to her as they continued to walk forward. “I would have-”

“You would have what? Said it was all okay? That you wanted me? Not Coppélia?”

“I don't know! You didn't give me that option!”

“You would have wanted her, the soft Coppélia, not me.”

“That's not true.” Hiccup faced her. “You might not have seen it, but back before this happened.” He gestured to his leg. “You were the only person I paid attention to. And then I saved you, and suddenly you knew who I was.”

“Hiccup, I-”

“No, don't try to comfort me. I know who I used to me. Who I am now.” He walked ahead of her, his hands in his hair, not waiting to see if she was following. He hadn't thought that by asking one question the rest would all spill out. That it would be hard to turn off the emotions that he had been holding back for so long. He felt humiliated, that he had told her that he loved her, all while she was pretending, making fun. But after they had slept beside each other, after she had held him against her, had it really all been a lie?

He turned back to see that she was walking slowly, her eyes full of tears as he let her catch up with him.

“This isn't fair.” She told him as she caught up, her hands shaking. “I didn't want _any_ of this to happen, and now I have killed, _killed_ , a person.” She pressed her hands to her eyes. “I didn't mean for this to happen.”

“You keep saying that.”

“Because it's true!”

“It was your lie, you-”

“It wasn't a lie!” She looked up at him, her hands fisting at her sides as she ripped them away from her face, letting him see the redness in her eyes that stood out against their blue hue. “None of it was a lie, _that's_ what I didn't plan on, what I didn't think would happen.”

“What do you mean?” Hiccup didn't want to assume anything, but hoping nonetheless.

“I didn't mean to love you, but I do.” She tried to smile weakly. “And you love a girl who doesn't exist, and that makes everything hurt.” She began to walk away, the moonlight shining off her hair and reflecting back at him.

“Can you say it?” He called after her. “Can you say it just once?”

“Say what?”

“What you just said, please.” She looked at him in confusion.

“You want me to...” She seemed to understand, closing her eyes for a moment and wiping the tears from her eyes. “Hiccup.” His name a whisper as she met his eyes. “I love you.” He smiled and rushed to her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders as she stiffened.

“Good.” Was all he said. “I'm glad.”

“But you told Coppélia all of those things.” Astrid pulled away. “You told Coppélia that you loved her.” But he shook his head.

“But you are Coppélia. To me, you are her whole personality, her whole existence is wrapped up in yours.” He took her hands. “So when I say I love Coppélia, what I'm really saying is,” He took a deep breath. “Astrid, I love you.” She collapsed against him, crying into his shoulder and holding on as he smoothed his hands over her hair, kissing the top of her hair. She pulled away slightly and he kissed her forehead, her cheeks, and looked down at her.

Strangely enough, he was nervous about kissing her. It wasn't as though he had never kissed her before. He had kissed _Coppélia_ plenty of times. But this was different. There was a weight to the way she was looking at him that hadn't been in the eyes of Coppélia that she had presented to him. This was more. And as he finally leaned down and met her lips, it _felt_ like more. Her hands moved from his back to his hair, holding onto him in the middle of the road to Berk, kissing him as though they were the only two people on earth.

When Astrid finally pulled back, her eyes stayed closed for a moment, and a smile spread across her face. When she opened her eyes Hiccup felt his face flushing, but refusing to break her gaze.

“We should keep going.” Was all she finally said. “We need to get back to Berk.”

“Alright.” Hiccup couldn't keep the smile off his face, taking one of her hands and kissing her palm for a moment, taking it in his and not letting it go as they continued to walk. He kissed the top of her head again and they settled into a comfortable silence as they continued to walk.

Eventually, Hiccup's leg was hurting again, a soft throbbing that became worse as time went by, and soon he was tired, hungry, and in pain, looking at the sky and seeing that the sun had started to rise.

“We have to be getting close.” He said, and Astrid wrapped an arm around his waist, trying to take some of his weight off his leg. “Does anything look familiar?”

“That does.” She pointed to the water that had started to crest over the horizon. “Come on, we have to keep moving,”

“Yes, sir.” He mumbled, but Astrid let it go, helping him along until the houses of Berk started to show themselves in the early morning light.

“Come on, before someone sees us.” She headed towards Hiccup's house. “Almost there.”

“Will you stay with me?” He asked as they made it to the door, opening it softly and slipping inside. Astrid sighed and while she was relieved that no one saw them, was already thinking about how she would make it back to her house without seeing anyone. “Please?” The plea in his voice began to break her will to leave as a wave of exhaustion came over her. She looked to the street where some of the houses were already coming alive, and knew that leaving would mean running into someone, and she knew that explaining her sudden absense and reappearance in Berk would not be easy to explain.

“Okay.” She finally agreed, sitting on the edge of his bed and falling backwards, closing her eyes and yawning. She felt Hiccup sit beside her and listened as he took his prosthetic off, before laying back beside her. Astrid opened her eyes, turning to him and smiling, reaching a hand up and taking his cheek.

“Hi.” She whispered. “Are we gonna sleep like this?”

“We could,” He whispered back, “But it's not very comfortable.”

“No it's not.” She laughed softly, sitting up and reaching down to take her shoes off, letting them drop to the floor and moving her hands to the ties on her dress, lifting it over her head and sighing as she sat in her underthings. She saw Hiccup staring out of the corner of her eye and couldn't help but laugh softly.

“Oh, come on.” She moved up the bed, pulling the covers out from under her and smiling at him with her arms open. “Get up here.” Hiccup crawled up to meet her, kissing her cheek before settling down beside her.

“Are you alright?” Hiccup asked as Astrid aid her head on his shoulder, her arm wrapping around him. “Really?”

“I think so.” Astrid closed her eyes. “I'm not sure yet. I'm so tired Hiccup, can't we talk about this later?”

“I guess, I mean-”

“Hiccup?” She began again. “Please go to sleep.”

“But-”

“Sleep, please.” He sighed and closed his eyes, deciding that anything else he had to ask her could wait until they had both slept a little while, but thoughts moving to the conversations that had led to all of this, and then something she had suggested came back to him.

“Astrid?” He whispered.

“Sleep.” Was all she groaned back. “Please.”

“I just have one more question.” He pressed forward. “When we were first talking about all of this, about Copper leaving and taking Coppélia with him, you asked me if I would be able to go on without her, remember?” Astrid nodded her head slightly, groaning again. “And then you suggested something.” He continued, and felt her stiffen at his side.

“Go to sleep, Hiccup.” She told him again. “I'm so tired.”

“You told me that I could marry her, that I could ask Coppélia to stay with me by marrying her.” Astrid didn't respond. “Does that mean you _wanted_ me to ask?” He felt his heart beating. “If I did, would you say yes?” He stopped talking and waited, her silence causing him to panic, before she finally shifted.

“Hiccup, go to sleep.” She told him again, but a smile graced her lips for a moment. “But yes, I would.”

 


End file.
